Through the Eyes of a Loser
by Tonights Silence
Summary: A story about bullying gone too far and pulling through it with the help of new friends and someone you love. Its seen through the eyes of a girl who changes as she sees everything that happens to a group of people who join together to try and stop it all
1. Chapter 1: A Girl

**Prologue**

_Tap, tap, tap._ The sound echoed through Sayuki mind as she sat there. The beat of her pencil kept her entranced in her thoughts. Like usual, even though she had specifically left later, she was early for class once again. The same time every single day. It was like time stopped so she would get there at that time, like a curse. She hated the morning, she hated the long trip to school; in fact she hated the school. Every time she repeated this aloud, people would stare at her, their faces blank; afraid to say anything in fear she might break down if they said the wrong thing.

Make some friends; that's what the student councillor had told her from her elementary school. It sounded simple enough at the time for her; she had friends in her old school. No sweat at all for her. Talk to a few people, and join a clique. High school life was nothing but a simple detour before she got on with her life. She just wanted to have a simple life with friends to hang out with, nothing too extraordinary. Was that too much for a girl to ask for? She hadn't thought so then.

But as she sat there, the desks around her empty, she thought it may have been. She was a self-proclaimed loser. That's what she repeated to herself as she could hear the humming of voices and laughter outside her small bubble. They were a blur to her, not making sense to her. All she knew was they were happy, and she wanted to reach out and join in. She wanted to be a part of the laughter and joy. She didn't want to watch it so much that it hurt and so that eventually that hurt would numb her very soul at the thought of it. She wanted to be numb with blissful emotions, if even for only a little more of her life.

"...scared..." Sayuki jumped at the word, knocking the desk. The sound of her pen falling to the ground made her blink, and look down at it. She could feel the gaze of curious faces, stifled laughter in the air. She held her breath. She was scared, very scared. Scared of being forgotten, once she was gone, and even more so when she was still there. She was scared of being alone, of never having friends during her high school life. At that moment in her teen hood, she was scared of life itself and what it would and wouldn't bring her.

"It turns out he was too scared to show his face and get it broken..." Sayuki glanced up slightly, but quickly averted her eyes from the red haired girl who had spoken. She picked up her pencil, and like usual listened to the gossip that made her life somewhat liveable there. "He was sooo cool when he called him out to fight too... I was looking forward to it. It's too bad the wimp decided to flake out and hide away..." That love sick tone was definitely Karin.

"Shut up, he'll definitely show up later anyways. Just in time for class. We'll get him after that..." It was a boy's voice this time. As soon as those words were spoken it was official. It never mattered which one of them said it, but if they said it. It just meant another powerless target for the group of bullies in their class. It sickened Sayuki the way they picked someone and went after them. It only took one thing for them to go after someone. Accidently bump into them, get your ass kicked as a repayment from them. So much as disobey them, you may as well leave the school. There was no risk, because no matter what you were in danger.

Fortunately, for her, she had never been bothered by them. That was one good thing about being like a fly on the wall. Nobody noticed you, so how could they bully you, right? As long as she kept to herself there would be no problem. Anyone who was targeted was doomed, an outcast. It didn't sound much worse than her current social standing, but at least where she was, she wasn't ridiculed. That was something to be thankful for. Although, she couldn't help but wonder who it was this time. It was instinct for her to feel sympathy for whoever it was.

"What did they even do to deserve it this time?" Sayuki muttered to herself after sighing. There are many times you regret saying things, and you never know it at the time. Somehow, it affects your life deeply, drastically changes it. It's not until later that you know you should have done something differently. You never think of it that moment. It's always done too late to take back and in the end you have to live with it. Sayuki had this realization then.

"Did you say something?" Sayuki turned around where a few desks down Karin sat on the edge of the desk, her legs dangling down. Karin narrowed her eyes, not out of hate, but as though it was hard for her to see Sayuki. Sayuki frowned. She was invisible even to people who had glasses that were to improve their vision. She would have laughed, had it not been for the cold hard stare from the boy behind her. Sayuki gulped and shook her head.

"I didn't say a word. Sorry." Sayuki quickly stood up and grabbed her bag in a desperate motion. She quickly left the room, with laughter following behind her from them. She looked down in shame. They hadn't done anything to her, and she had wimped out. She was a complete, pathetic loser. She had thought the worst before anything could actually happen. She was too pessimistic for this.

Sayuki whipped around a corner, her bag clutched tightly to her chest like a shield. Her body collided with another in a quick, loud motion, before she fell hard on her ass. Only a gasp short of a shriek was let out as she fell. She sat there stiffly, her eyes squeezed tight, afraid to see who it was. Afraid to let the fear on her face be shown to another person. She felt an arm grab her though and roughly pull her up, making her flash open her eyes to see what was forcing her to get up. In front of her, stood a red haired boy, whose arm snapped back to his side like he had touched hot coal. She grabbed her arm and held it where he had, and stepped back.

"Watch where you're going..." The boy grumbled under his breath practically. Gaara, his name was Gaara. She was sure of it. She could recognize his rough, frightening tone of voice anywhere. His eyes, glaring down at her as though she was some kind of nuisance. She could feel herself shrinking under his cold gaze. "The classes are that way." Sayuki looked back, and shook her head violently.

"I can't go back there... I-" Sayuki was cut off by a short laugh of disgust from him. His fist was clenched at his side, while his right hand ran through the front of his hair, moving it from his face for a moment. She felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of his eyes. She reached for her throat in a dramatic move, and choked on any words she could have even though of saying. She realized she had dropped her bag when both her hands were empty. She bent down and began to scramble to pick her bag up along with a few belongings that had fallen out.

"You think you can't go back? Even the new pet is going back," The sound of his laughter this time, froze her in spot. It sent chills down her spine, her eyes widening. The new pet? Gaara was the target for her class, is that what he meant? She slowly looked up at him, his face was crazed looking, tortured. She gulped, and slowly stood. His eyes narrowed back to the strong, uncaring look once again. His lips curled into a mocking curve. "Run before they see you with me. You wouldn't want to be next because of this, would you?"

Sayuki could hear the hate in his voice, the judgement, the insult. She could even hear the deep pleading in what those words meant. She really could, which is what made it all the worse. She wasn't strong; she wasn't even sane at times. She gripped the bag, and like he had said, she ran. She ran as fast as her legs permitted her. She didn't look back, the guilt racing in her veins. She wasn't a hero; she couldn't help him like in the books. She was a lonely, weak, dreaming girl. She just wanted a normal safe life. She couldn't help him, she didn't want to. She was too selfish to worsen her own life.

"I'm so sorry..." The words slipped from her mouth like a secret she couldn't keep in any longer, as she pushed through the school's entrance doors. She truly meant it, but it wouldn't help.


	2. Chapter 2: A Friend?

"You ran away just like that? They're going to end up bullying you because you act like such a wimp..." The sound of her friend's voice soothed her racing heart. Sayuki sat cross legged on her bed, the pink comforter barely on her bare legs. Her head hung lowly, as she doodled on a piece of paper, balancing the phone between her shoulder and ear. She stopped drawing leaving the flower short of a few petals. She blinked, and clenched the pencil in her fist. Her nails dug into her skin and stung her but she didn't acknowledge the small pain by letting go.

"I wish you were here to protect me again..." Sayuki whimpered, bringing her legs closer as she realised her grip of the pencil and dropped it to the bed. She wrapped her arms around her legs and pulled them even closer. "Nobody here will help me if it comes to that. I'm just a nobody to all of them after all. That boy too, I left him, he wouldn't dare help me. He probably won't even be here anymore after a week or so." Sayuki's thoughts were filled of Gaara once again and his cold stare. He hated her, just like he hated everybody else. He scared her just about as much as Karin and her friends scared her.

``Just don`t go near them for a while, but don`t go in hiding either. Nothing`s going to come of it. Just worry about making some new friends instead." Sayuki nodded even though she couldn't be seen, dropping the phone as she did so. She quickly reached out to grab it as it fell to the ground. She successfully caught it. Unfortunately that was the end for the phone call as her finger pressed the end button. Sayuki immediately dialled back, but only found that the line was busy. She sighed, and placed the phone to her left.

Sayuki stood up and walked to her closet door. On the pink door hung a full length mirror. Sayuki studied herself, down to the smallest details of herself. She ran her fingers through her thin, blond hair, tearing them through at the end from the touch of her stiff feeling hair. She frowned with her small pink lips that looked rather odd against her sickly pale face. She touched her face with her small hand, slowly moving it down her cheek. She was such an ugly girl. She hated everything about her appearance. Her eyes were complete dull blue from the lack of excitement to make them shine. She was short and a flat board shape.

_"You make yourself look like an easy picking. Dress up more."_ The words her distant friend had said earlier rang through her head once again. She had only sent her a few pictures of herself, but every time she had commented on her drab looking appearance. She picked on her gray faded shirts to her baggy jeans that she particularly liked to wear. Sayuki sighed, pulling on her pants to stretch the wrinkles from them as she stared back at her mirror image. She frowned, and it frowned back. If she smiled, would others smile back at her? Was it worth a try?

"Sayuki... please come to dinner..." Her mother's voice spoke through the crack of the door. Her voice was cracked itself, filled with her years of pain and stress. Sayuki glanced back at the door and replied with a short 'coming' to her mother. She looked back to herself. Tomorrow, tomorrow was the day she would change. She would change her appearance, from the inside out. Maybe it was all that easy and she could just move onto a better life with it. With a rare confidence, she smiled slightly and pressed her palm against the clone's face. _"I want you to disappear..."_

Sayuki could feel the curious stares from everyone. She had always worn the same old worn out clothing, but today she had done what was normal for every girl, but felt silly on her. She had chosen to wear a black camisole underneath a cute pink bunny hug that was only zipped a quarter if the way. Her legs were bare, and folded across each other out of discomfort. Her little pink skirt made her feel as though she wore nothing at all, reaching above her knees. She had never worn any of her skirts that were this short and flowy before. It didn't feel right. Her sister had even helped her by putting on a small touch of makeup by curling her blond hair. She felt so ridiculous. She was sure they were all laughing at her attempt to look cute.

_"Smile Sayuki, just smile."_ Sayuki repeated to herself. Her breathing quickened, having the opposite effect. She placed her hand against her heart, and took a deep breath before she slowly let it out. She glanced back to see a pink haired girl looking at her. She spotted Sayuki looking at her and smiled. She turned back to her friends quickly and whispered something to them. They all just nodded, and turned away from Sayuki and began storming up a conversation that sounded like a loud buzzing noise. The girl hopped from her desk, leaving her friends as she walked towards Sayuki who stared back at her shocked.

"Hey, are you new?" Sakura. That was her name. Sakura never really stuck out, but she did in a way. Sayuki thought she was one of the prettiest girls she knew. She had short, beautiful pink hair that brought out her big jade eyes. She looked so pure and innocent. She was strong and friendly. She was often seen in the middle of a fight and hated by a lot of people. But Sayuki always noticed she was fighting for someone else. She was protecting someone unlike Sayuki who had run. It was obvious to even herself that she completely envied her. She was everything Sayuki wished to be, but never could or would be.

"I've been here from the beginning..." Sayuki said softly, her eyes darting to the ground. Another person who hadn't noticed her. It wasn't too great a surprise, but it kind of hurt. "I get looked passed a lot though I guess."

"Really? But you're so cute. Don't all the boys flock just to get a look at you?" Sakura asked her, moving to take a seat on her desk. Sayuki shook her head rapidly, shocked by even the idea of it. She looked down at Sayuki and smiled brightly once she had stopped. She laughed lightly. "That's okay; boys are a pain in the ass anyways. They just want to feel us up. It's best to ignore them until they mature a little more. Although I can't say I believe that too much... Oh! By the way, I'm Haruno, Sakura. Just call me Sakura though."

Sayuki stared up at her, not speaking a word for a few moments. Was she making a new friend so easily? Had her clothes really made that much of a difference or was she finally getting a little luck? She would never know why. Still, she couldn't help but be happy either way. She smiled for the first time in a while in the school. "I'm Shiriyuki, Sayuki."

"I'll just call you Sayuki then too." Sakura said, nodding at the thought. She kicked her legs in front of her. She hummed to herself for a few moments, and Sayuki sat there listening to her soft voice. She stopped after a moment and looked down at Sayuki as though she had just remembered she was there. "So, Sayuki, what kind of music do you like?"

"I'm not too pi-"

"Hello, are you new here cutie?" Sayuki looked to the side of Sakura to see Sakon, a twin to another boy Ukon. She felt a chill run down her back at the sound of his voice. Her hands began to fidget beneath the desk nervously as she glanced down to the desk. Had they already forgotten about yesterday?

Sakura noticed Sayuki's discomfort quickly as she glanced down at her. She quickly hopped off the desk to the side of Sakon. "Leave her alone, she's not into guys like you. She's in a totally different league than you. Try another girl." Sayuki looked up, surprised by her saviour. Sakon didn't seem too affected by it, and just raised an eyebrow. Sayuki glanced nervously from him to Sakura. Did she know what she was doing?

"How about you then? You're not too bad either." Sakon looked from her head to toe, smiling in approval. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You can wish, but that's as far as it's ever gonna go." Sakura replied coolly. She stared him down for a few moments, and he mimicked her. He shook his head though, realizing how pointless it was, and instead turned back to Sayuki. He smiled down at her, and she felt her heart skip a beat. She had to act cool, like Sakura, and maybe they would leave her alone.

"You don't really think that, right cutie? Why don't we hook up later?" Sayuki flinched at the idea of ever being alone with him. The thought of it disgusted her, and churned her stomach. She bit her lip nervously. She had to contain herself from shrieking a no as he reached out to grab her hands from beneath the desk. Fortunately Sakura grabbed his hand in time, and pulled it away.

"Don't even try." Sakura threatened, her eyes narrowing. He snatched his arm from her grip and chuckled. Sayuki squeezed her hands into tight fists as she waited for him to do something horrible. Instead he took a step back.

"Another time I guess. Atleast give me your name though before I leave." Sakon smirked, and glanced at Sakura. "I won't leave without it."

"Sayuki..." Sayuki looked at him, speaking softly. She couldn't control the volume of her voice, but he seemed satisfied with the answer. He nodded, and turned to leave.

"Don't forget it so when your friend ask, you know who to tell them when they ask who rejected your arrogant ass." Sakura replied, crossing her arms under her chest. He turned back, his eyes shining with excitement. He raised his fist to show it, his sleeve dropping down his arm.

"I won't ever hit a girl. I'm not that kind of guy, even if the girl is a total bitch." Sakon stated nonchalantly. He dropped his arm, and his eyes narrowed. Sayuki shrunk in fear, afraid for what he would do. His tone was light as he continued to speak, but Sayuki could sense the threat in it. It wasn't hard to catch. "But there are others who are okay with it. Especially the girls. Better watch out for that tongue of yours before you end of getting into trouble."

With that being said, Sakon left, with his brother and friend who had stayed by his side silently, watching in amusement. Sayuki shrunk further down in her desk, as she tried to hide herself. She looked at Sakura who now looked slightly worried. She spotted Sayuki looking at her though, her blue eyes wide with her emotions. Sakura smiled to ease her nervousness, the worry gone from her face now. She sat in the desk across from her, and sat facing Sayuki.

"Don't worry about it. He won't do anything like he said, and I'll protect you when he comes around to harass you again." Sakura promised, holding out her pinkie for Sayuki. Sayuki slowly brought her hand up and locked pinkies with Sakura. They shook their hands quickly, before letting go. "I promise. But, like he said, be careful around the girls. Especially Karin, she's not exactly pleasant if you know what I mean. Don't stress yourself out about it too much though. Nothing will happen."


	3. Chapter 3: You Love Him?

A/N: Sorry for the extremely late update. Computer died, and it took for ever to get enough money to afford a new one. But now I've got it so.. whoo! X]

* * *

Like Sakura had said, nothing did happen to them. Sayuki began to spend more time with Sakura, following her everywhere like a puppy. Sayuki was in awe of her. It even began to distract her from everything. She had no more worries about the bullying, and if any happened she didn't even realise it. She even began to like coming to school. Her enthusiasm for it even shocked her parents who thought she was sick at first. They were relieved to find out she wasn't ill and was actually having a somewhat normal life like she used to.

Sakura was like a light in Sayuki's dark life then. She began to continue dressing more stylish compared to her old look, which got even a few other people talking to her. She still got harassed by Sakon, but Sakura was there to save her every time. Even with that she began to feel like her life was going back to normal. She was beginning to feel like everything was actually going to be okay for once. She was beginning to see the silver lining. She knew it was all going to work out for her.

Her new friend and the other girls in her classes were getting closer to her. It was all she had wanted, and she was more than content with it now. She didn't want a thing to change, afraid it would all shatter in a moment. These worries were always washed away by Sakura's bright smile though. They never lasted longer than a few moments, something Sayuki was glad for. She thought they would fade away, and that all her fears were just that; fears. Nothing that would happen in reality, like Sakura had promised her. Was it so bad for her to wish for that?

"You stare a lot at him..." Sayuki glanced to her side at the boy Sakura always seemed to have her eye on. Even though Sakura had made the speech about boys when they first met, Sayuki couldn't help but notice her staring at him. Sasuke Uchiha. He was popular, and she knew for a fact Karin also had her eye on him. She couldn't see why so many people liked him. He was so anti-social... kind of like her, but more hateful. Was that part of his charm?

"Hmmm?" Sakura's eyes reluctantly turned back to Sayuki, who looked down. She felt bad for bringing Sakura from her dreaming, but she couldn't help but be curious. "I'm sorry. I sort of zone out sometimes when I see him..." Sakura laughed nervously, her eyes glancing from Sayuki back to where Sasuke stood, a few girls surrounding him.

"Is he that cool? I just don't get it..." Sayuki stated boldly, scrunching her nose as she examined him. His hair was funny looking too. He was kind of cool and collected looking, but was it that attractive? Love was such a strange thing.

"I don't know what it is really... he just sort of attracts me. Like a moth to fire." Sakura said thoughtfully, as she rested her head on her palm. She placed her full attention on Sayuki now, and smiled wistfully. "He's cool calm and collected. He's not loud or too full of himself. I don't think I've ever seen him gloat, and he does have his rough side... but we all do right?" Sakura looked at Sayuki for an agreement, which Sayuki quickly gave by nodding her head quickly. Sakura frowned. "But with him, it really is like being a moth. So many girls are after him," Sakura's eyes moved to Karin who sat a short distance from them, staring at Sasuke too. "And in the end, you're most likely going to get burned for trying to get too close."

Sayuki glanced at him. "I guess I'm lucky I'm not in love then..." Sayuki said flatly. Sakura looked at her, an obvious look of shock on her face. Sayuki blinked, and her mind wandered to a few weeks ago. "Have you seen Gaara lately?" Sakura's shock turned to curiosity at the mention of his name. She twisted her lips, licking them before she spoke.

"I've seen him lately, but I heard he's keeping a low profile." Sakura explained, tapping her free fingers against the desk she sat in. She looked at Karin who looked back at the same time. They gave each other looks of disgust, before Sakura turned back to Sayuki. "Because of them that is. Apparently if he does anything he'll be kicked from the school. He's already been a bunch of trouble, so why would they believe he's in trouble? Apparently if he gets expelled from here, there's nowhere else for him." Sakura stopped tapping. "It's unfair, but that's how it works. It's only what I've heard though, so it may be untrue and he's just hiding for the sake of it. Although I doubt it. He did have a pretty rough past, but that's just a bunch of rumours too."

Sayuki just nodded. She had sworn she saw shots of his bright red hair in the crowds of students between classes. She was only in three of his classes, but he was in the far back, where she couldn't stare of even steal a glance of him without being caught by the teacher. "You're not going to try and help him like you do with others?"

Sakura blinked a few times, dropping the few strands of hair that had caught her attention. She twisted her lips as she considered her words. Finally after a few moments she spoke, her usual confidence seeming to dim. "He's a boy. He can handle himself right? What sort of guy would want a girl helping him defend himself...? Wouldn't he feel shame?" Sakura's questioned seemed more like she was pleading Sayuki to leave it at that. For some reason it unsettled Sayuki though, and she continued.

"But you've helped other guys before, right? Why is he any different than them?" Sakura's eyes averted to the ground. She silently brushed her hair back. She looked so serious it made Sayuki choke on any words she had. Was Sakura scared too? But Sayuki had thought she was fearless. Sayuki gulped; opening her mouth to speak. "Are you scared of them too?" Her voice was small, filled with fear her new friend wasn't as strong as she thought. Not strong enough to protect Sayuki.

Sakura's head shot up though, her eyes wide. She shook her head violently, the blur of her pink hair whipping across her face so it was invisible. "No, no! That's not it. They don't scare me at all." Her voice seemed frantic. She calmed down after that. Sayuki's wide eyes stared expectantly at her, demanding an answer. "It's just..." Sakura looked to the ground again; shame covered her face. "To be honest I'm scared of him. Almost more than anyone else. But..." She paused. She glanced slowly to where Sasuke sat. "For some reason he hates Gaara more passionately than the rest. He's what scares me the most. I'm scared to be hated by him and if I helped Gaara..."

Sayuki clenched her skirt beneath the desk. Sakura wasn't as great as she thought. She was a coward too, and for someone like him. Sayuki squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want the tears of disappointment to leak through. Even though her facade of Sakura was crushed, she still didn't want the girl to see her embarrassing moment. She still wanted her friend to be with her, heroine or not.

Sayuki pushed her chair back violently, and cautiously opened her eyes to look at the wide-eyed shocked Sakura. Sayuki smiled as best as she could. It didn't seem to comfort Sakura any, but she couldn't stay there any longer. She quickly stepped backwards towards the door, and she heard someone curse to someone behind her. She whipped around, her side hitting someone. Even though it hadn't been that strong a hit, the person fell, unexpecting of the sudden attack.

"Oh my god!" Sayuki's heart stopped at the shriek. She had started a domino game of people. Her eyes were unfocused, blurring the few people on the ground. After a moment, they began to squirm and her eyes focused. Her apology lost as she looked at the group on the floor. She gasped, and suddenly she couldn't breathe anymore. She stepped backwards, away from them. The tears she had tried to stop before came rushing out. She brought her hands to face to cover her mouth.

"Who the fuck hit us!?" The girlish voice shriek pierced the classroom, getting anyone's attention that hadn't already been looking. Sayuki could see the faces of others outside the class staring at her in pity before they quickly shuffled away. There was going to be a bomb, and Sayuki had nowhere to hide from the explosion. Nowhere.


	4. Chapter 4: Hungry?

A/N: Remember to review after reading! Compliments and critiques welcome~

* * *

"Sayuki! Are you alright?" Sakura came rushing over to the horrified Sayuki as she sat there frozen. Sakura touched her shoulder, and tried to lift her up. Sayuki began to tremble as she looked at the mass collision she had caused. That in itself was bad enough, but who was in it made it all the worse for her. She was like dead weight, and refused to stand up even as Sakura struggled to pull her up.

"You!" Karin's scream echoed through the class. Sayuki flinched at the sound of her high pitched scream. The trembling didn't stop. Karin's eyes pierced through her skin and into her heart stopping it from beating. Finally Sakura managed to yank her up to her feet, but she leaned against Sakura lifelessly. Karin growled angrily in a beast like way. "You clumsy bitch! Don't you look where you're going are you stupid and blind!?"

"It was an accident, cool your jets," Sakura snapped at Karin. Karin turned her glare to Sakura, as she roughly stood up, pushing her friend back down who had also fallen. She brushed her arms off violently, her scowl never perishing from her face.

"I'm-I'm sorry! Let me help you-" Sayuki finally found her voice, as shaky as it was. She reached out to help dust Karin off, but Karin slapped her hand away angrily. Sayuki felt a sharp pain in her hand, but the numbing in her legs was worse.

"Don't you dare touch me after what you did! This was an expensive skirt and now it's filthy and dirty!" Karin flared as she clenched the hand she had used to smack her hand away. Sayuki's mouth hung open, ready to apologize even further, but the sudden shock that appeared in Karin's eyes stopped any words. "What is this!? Is this gum on my skirt?!" Karin shrieked as she noticed the pink sticky mess at the center of her leg of the black skirt. Her eyes widened as she let out a sound of disgust.

"It's just a skirt you dumb ass..." Sayuki's frightened eyes looked down to see Gaara. That's who she had heard fighting outside the class. He must have been the first person she had hit. She looked away from him ashamed for abandoning him the first time and for now causing him even more problems. "It was my fault anyways, [I] princess [/I], so lay off her. It was an ugly skirt anyways, you should be glad." Gaara muttered the last part after rolling his eyes.

"Please... I'll buy you a new one." Sayuki offered hopefully, stopping Karin from snapping on Gaara. She wiped the tears from her face as she said this, and tried to put on a friendly smile. To Sayuki's surprise Karin smiled back. Sayuki's smile brightened into a genuine smile, until she felt the sharp stinging on her face as Karin's hand whipped out of nowhere. Sayuki stumbled back, completely startled.

"You wouldn't be able to afford a string of this skirt." Karin replied coolly. Pulling out a handkerchief from her pocket, she wiped her hands on it, disgusted. She glanced around the class; the stares of their classmates looking at them. Half of them were shocked and afraid, while half looked nervous but amused. Karin scowled as she looked back down to her dress. "I need to change out of these rags now. Let's go." Karin ordered, and her two friends nodded, their eyes locked on the shocked Sayuki.

"Why you bi-" Sakura began but stopped when Sayuki's shaking hand grabbed her. Karin raised an eyebrow, but when Sakura gritted her teeth she laughed haughtily and headed for the door. She glanced out to see the teacher coming. She flipped her hair back, and turned to look back at Sayuki.

"You better watch your back."

* * *

"Does your face still hurt?" Sakura asked Sayuki as they sat eating their lunches. Sayuki simply stared at her food though, not bothering to even try. Her stomach felt like it had been kicked repeatedly. She knew that if she even tried to eat it wouldn't stay down. So instead she pushed her food away and shook her head slowly.

"It's fine." Sayuki whispered. Even though she could no longer feel the stinging from the slap, it still hurt. She knew that it wouldn't end just like that. She was going to become like Gaara, but she wasn't strong like him. Even with Sakura she was sure she couldn't handle it. She wasn't a heroine with a strong personality and a profound determination who overcame anything. She was a weak hearted fool.

"Okay... well I'm going to go buy something to drink. Do you want anything?" Sakura asked as she stood up from the desk. Sayuki shook her head. Sakura nodded and headed for the door. Sayuki felt even more frightened as she realized she was all alone now. She wouldn't be able to protect herself if something went wrong.

Sayuki looked to her left where Gaara sat, his eyes closed. He posture made him seem so off guard and care free, but the tension in his face and wrinkles between his eyebrows showed the opposite. He looked ready to strike anyone one down who dared to enter the space around him. She wanted to go over to him and apologize but she was too scared to. He had stuck up for her; that didn't mean he liked her though. He probably hated her. Not probably, she was a hundred percent sure that he hated her.

Still, Sayuki didn't want to sit there alone and she needed to apologize to the red haired boy. She took a deep breath and moved her leg to move. But she stopped. She felt something drop on her head, several things. They fell down passed her shoulders and onto her lap. She looked down to see rice scattered across her lap. Squares of omelette clashed against her purple skirt and little octopus faces looked up at her, grinning happily. Sayuki looked up to meet the gaze of Karin.

"You didn't seem to like your food, so I thought I'd share mine with you. How is it?" Karin asked sweetly as she held two bento pink and yellow boxes above Sayuki's head. She slammed the containers onto the desk, a syrupy smile on her face.

"She looks thirsty," A pink haired girl beside Karin spoke. She didn't bother to smile like Karin, but kept a small arrogant smirk on her lips. Sayuki's wide eyes darted across the three girls who stood in front of her escape route. Her hands reached up to her head to touch the sticky rice. Her mouth dropped as it all sunk in. She began to rapidly pull the rice from her hair.

"I think you're right for once Tayuya," Karin agreed nodding. She held her hand out and a girl with black hair handed Karin a bottle of tea. Sayuki's eyes widened, and she pushed her chair back to leave, but Karin quickly unscrewed the bottle. Sayuki sat shocked as the cold liquid dribbled down her hair and down her neck. Her shirt began to soak as Karin slowly poured the liquid down. Once the bottle was empty, Karin shook the bottle to rid the last drops.

"No need to thank us. You can repay us with lunches tomorrow and some juice." Karin spoke slowly. She kept her smile glued to her face as she threw the bottle to the ground. Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at the pathetic looking Sayuki. "This is only the beginning of our [I] friendship [/I]." Sayuki trembled at the word friendship. Karin's eye brightened again and she waved before she walked off.

Tayuya's smirk grew, and she turned to leave, smacking everything on the desk at Sayuki, including her own uneaten lunch. It fell on her lap, creating a larger mess, but she still didn't move until both the girls followed behind Karin. As soon as they were out of the room, Sayuki began to tremble, their laughter ringing through her head.

"Why...?" Sayuki cried softly and dropped her head to the desk. The few in the room bore holes into her back with their stares, but she was already too humiliated to care anymore. She shook from her sobs as she cried on her desk. She hated them, she truly hated them. She was going to be ruined before she knew it. She would rather be dead.

"Get up." Sayuki slowly looked up as the rough voice commanded her. She looked up to see the annoyed look on Gaara's face as he grabbed her arm and pulled her up. He roughly wiped rice off of her shoulder and head, before he began to drag her towards the door. "Are you planning to just stay like that the rest of the day?"

"No..." Sayuki managed to say through a sob. She followed him as he tugged her out the door and down the hall. She looked down, ashamed to look at anyone. She knew they would all laugh at the site of her, and she couldn't take anymore ridicule. It was all too much for her. "Thank you... for helping me..." Sayuki gasped out. "And I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"It's one or the other. Be thankful or sorry. More importantly have more pride and stand up to those cowardly bitches..." Gaara lectured impatiently as he pulled her along. Sayuki nodded limply. He sighed, and stopped. He let her arm go, and Sayuki looked up to see why.

"Sayuki! What happened to you!?" Sakura's voice filled Sayuki's head and she immediately began to cry harder as she saw her. Gaara pushed Sayuki towards Sakura who caught her against her chest and looked at her worriedly. "Did she do this to you? You're covered in rice and your wet..."

"Go get her cleaned up." Those were the last words Sayuki heard from Gaara before Sakura straightened her up and lead her towards the entrance doors. She looked back once towards him as he watched them leave. She bowed her head slightly with her face tear stained and whispered a thank you to him. He just nodded quickly, before quickly turning around and heading out another set of doors.


	5. Chapter 5: Bet

A/N: Hope you enjoy the latest chapter. Had a lot going on this week, but I wanted to get it out. x] Remember to review. Thanks to those who have and will!

Also, check out my new story "Dreams." Which should be put up soon and updated daily hopefully. x]

* * *

"Nobody's home?" Sakura asked as they opened the door to utter silence. Even with the windows open, the sun shining through, the house seemed dark and abandoned. They slipped their shoes off and walked through the entrance.

"I guess my mom's shopping..." Sayuki suggested weakly. It was a relief for her though. She didn't want her mom to see her this way. Her family already saw her as weak; she had gotten used to that. If they saw her like this though, she was sure to drown in her own shame. They would be ashamed to have her as their daughter. Just like in school, she'd be completely isolated and pushed away in her family.

"Let's not worry about it. We can tell them later." Sakura said, nudging Sayuki forward. She glanced around the entry way into the living, then the kitchen. She looked back to Sayuki whose back was towards her. "Where's your bathroom?"

"You can't." Sayuki managed to let out. Sakura stared at her, baffled.

"You can't stay in those clothes though. You have food all over you, you need to shower at the very least and get it out before it's too hard." Sakura insisted, her face calm again. She put her hand on Sayuki's shoulder. The trembling had eventually stopped on their way back to the house, but it had returned once again. Unsure of what to do, she pulled her hand back, even more confused now.

"No! You can't tell my parents!" Sayuki shouted, surprising Sakura. She was used to the quiet, timid Sayuki. Her voice was surprising loud and sharp with anger and fright that she stepped back. She opened her mouth to talk, but for once she was at a loss of words. She couldn't understand why she didn't want to tell her parents. She knew it would be hard, but she knew they couldn't handle it themselves, and they deserved to know.

"W-why?" Sakura asked, after taking a small breather to collect her words together. She grabbed Sayuki by the shoulder, turning the girl around. Her eyes were wide, but her trembling was controlled. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her, not permitting her to shake any further. Her eyes were red and puffy from her earlier crying; new tears about to emerge. Oddly enough Sakura noticed her eyes were a brighter blue thanks to the tears, but it wasn't exactly a reason to celebrate.

"If they find out, they would hate me!" Sayuki's words shot out like they couldn't stay in any longer. She went crashing to the ground, her legs unable to hold her any longer. Sakura just stood and watched as the small girl brought her arms to her head and sobbed uncontrollably. She had never seen anyone so weak and afraid. To her own surprise this didn't make her dislike her like she had thought it would. It brought on the feeling of wanting, even needing to protect her. "I don't know what to do... I can't stand going back but if I don't they'll find out and abandon me..." Sayuki's words were almost inaudible.

"They wouldn't hate you..." Sakura said soothingly, and moved closer to her. Her steps were slow and tentative, afraid to set off a bomb of emotions from her. She bent down slowly, so she was in front of her blond girl. She was a complete wreck.

"They will! I know they will! They're already so ashamed of me for being weak, and this would only push them over the edge!" Sayuki howled, her nails digging into her skull. Sakura pulled Sayuki's frail arms down from attacking herself gently. Tucking them to her side, Sakura embraced the girl as she cried.

"They won't... but I promise I won't tell them until you're ready to, okay?" Sakura asked softly. Sayuki nodded, but her sobbing didn't subside. After sitting there for a few more moments, Sayuki began to calm down. Sakura rubbed her back, trying to comfort her further. When she seemed to stop crying, Sakura let her go, and stood up.

Standing up, she looked back to the disaster on Sayuki's head. Most of the rice had fallen out during their walk, but some still remained. She sighed, and with a smile, messed up Sayuki's hair further. "Come on let's go get you cleaned up before someone gets home." Sakura suggested. Sayuki nodded once again, and wiped the remaining tears from her face. "Besides you look ridiculous." Sakura laughed lightly and to her surprise and delight Sayuki did too.

Sakura helped Sayuki up gently. Even though she had just laughed, her eyes still looked empty of happiness and corrupted with fear and agony. She closed her eyes and put her arm around Sayuki. She attempted another smile, and pretending she believed it, Sakura smiled back. Slowly they both made their way upstairs as Sayuki directed her.

They entered the rather large bathroom, and Sayuki began to fumble with her clothes as she tried to unbutton her sweater. Sakura saw her having difficulty and offered her helps as she undid the buttons. Sayuki dropped her arms to her side. "I'm sorry for always getting you to help me. Even with my shirt." Sayuki let out a short, disgusted laugh. Sakura had known Sayuki had self esteem problems; anyone could. Sakura couldn't see why she would though. She didn't understand how she could be so disgusted and hateful towards herself. Had something happened to her, or was it just her own doubts and fears?

"I want to help you, so don't apologize." Sakura replied genuinely as she finished unbuttoning the shirt. Sayuki slipped it off her arms, and turned around as she took her pants off. Sakura went to the bathtub and turned the water on. "Even I need help, everyone does. I know you'd do the same for me." Sakura sat on the edge of the tub as she looked at Sayuki. Sayuki paused, and slowly nodded. She looked unsure if she would ever have to or if she even could.

"Anyways hurry up, it's almost ready," Sakura ordered. She ran her hand through the water, checking the temperature. Soon she turned the water off. As she did so, Sayuki stepped forward and without a word slipped in. Sakura scooched over for her as she did. Sayuki shifted in the water nervously. "I'll help you clean the rice out of your hair." Sakura grabbed the shower head and brought it down, ready to use. The rice was harder to see against Sayuki's blond hair, but it was still visible. "Where's the soap?"

"Oh. I forgot to grab it. I'll go get it." Sayuki said softly. She put her arms on the edge, ready to lift herself out. Sakura gently pushed her shoulder so she sat back down. She stood up herself.

"Where is it?" Sakura asked, glancing around the bathroom. "You'll need a towel too for after. I'll get both." Sakura thought aloud, glancing back to Sayuki. She slowly nodded an okay.

"In the hall there's soap, and the towels are below." Sayuki explained. Sakura nodded. She headed outside where she saw a cupboard. She opened it up to find the supplies she needed. She grabbed two towels and some soap. Her eye was caught by a red towel. Her lips curled into a frown.

The color was a complete match to Karin's long hair. The thought of her and what she had done made Sakura's blood boil. She had always disliked her that much was true. She had never hated her as much before. She had always thought it was her actions she hated, and that she had her own problems. That's what bullies did. Or so she had been told. So she had believed it wasn't Karin's fault, she had been taught that. Now thinking of how she had hurt her fragile friend, that idea was smashed. It was Karin's fault and she would get revenge for Sayuki.

Without a warning, Sakura slammed her fist against the wall, cracking the paint of the wall. She held it there as she imagined Karin's face being smashed into pieces. She heard water splash and Sayuki's worried call. Brought back to reality, she dropped her hand. It was red and stung a bit. It wasn't enough to calm her down though or faze her. So she walked back into the bathroom, a smile plastered on her face for Sayuki. She wasn't going let it end like this for Sayuki.

* * *

"You girls sure can be harsh..." Sakon commented casually as he stared intensely at the cards in his hand. He held two aces and three kings. He smirked, as he sat back comfortable against the chair. To his left was his brother Ukon, Tayuya, Suigetsu, Karin, Sasuke, leaving Jugo to his right. They all made their bets, not speaking at first.

"I deal with things fairly, it's not my fault dumb bitches try to get in my way," Karin stated casually as she put three cards down and picked up three. Her face stayed the same as they all went. Sakon left his hand the same.

"I heard it was an accident that she hit you all." Ukon replied, folding as they continued their next round of betting. He raised an eyebrow, ready to hear Karin's ranting about how she was right and it was their fault. But she stayed silent, disappointing him slightly.

"Knowing you Karin, you were too busy drooling over Sasuke to pay attention." Suigetsu said mockingly, raising the bet. Sasuke grunted, annoyed by the comment. This time Karin shot daggers at Suigetsu with her eyes, threatening to jump from her chair and attack him. He looked away, and sighed. He was usually ready for a fight, but she was calm. Which probably meant she was enraged beyond words and scheming.

"Either way I can't wait to see her face when she comes to school tomorrow." Tayuya announced as she folded, throwing her cards down to the table. "That is if she even comes. She looked like some sort of wounded, frightened cat."

"She'll come. I'd bet on it." Karin replied simply, as the rest of them showed their cards. She held hers up though, and they all stared at her impatiently. "I won't need to do much either. She'll be crushed."

"Hurry up already." Sakon grumbled, impatiently. His arms were reached out to grab the pile of cash, knowing he had already won. Karin grinned and placed her cards down gently. A royal flush of hearts. Sakon blinked before he cursed and snapped back to sit straight in his chair.

"Just like that. Except I won't play as nicely." Karin assured them as she gathered the money from the center. She placed the money in a bag and back beside her on the table. Her smile was in place as she cracked her fingers. She couldn't wait for tomorrow.

"Do you think you should really be wasting your time playing these games? She just bumped into you. There are more important things you could be doing. That freak is still at school too." Sasuke stated coldly, as he gathered the cards. Karin flinched at his words, wiping the smirk off of her face but she recovered quickly. She smiled sweetly and batted her eyes.

"It won't take much time, she'll be easy." Karin replied matter-of-factly. "By the end of the week she'll definitely be out of there. No. In three days at the very latest." Karin's voice was filled with confidence.

"I'd hate to be a girl..." Ukon chuckled as he looked at the rage and determination in Karin's eyes. The rest stared at her, smirks on their lips.

"Who wants to bet when she runs away crying?"


	6. Chapter 6: Eyes

"Sayuki? Where are you?" Sayuki could hear the echoing call of her mother as she nervously looked for her. She already knew what was coming. It was always the same, but she couldn't avoid seeing her parents forever. The longer she hid the more frightened she became and the more she crushed her mother. She didn't want to face the disapproving and cold eyes of her father though. She didn't want to see the pain in her mother's eyes as she accused her for all the suffering she brought on her. She didn't need to. The images in their distant, hateful eyes filled every corner in her mind.

"Sister?" Sayuki's head snapped up from the ball she had curled herself into as she heard her name. She made a small thump as her head hit the wall of the dark closet. She gasped, but covered her mouth quickly. The room outside fell silent, but still she didn't breath. Suddenly she heard the scraping sound as her closet door was pushed open. No light poured inside the closet though. "Mom and dad are looking for you..."

Sayuki could hear the shuffling off clothes being moved as her little brother made his way into her closet slowly. It was small and didn't take long for her to feel the heat of his body touching hers. She sat there silent though, breathing once again. She felt his body lean against hers, as he too said nothing more. She put her head down into her arms again as they sat like that for what seemed like forever. She didn't care though; she wished they would stay like that forever.

"You're not going to force me out there or tell them where I am, are you Rei?" Sayuki asked after a while. She could see his golden hair even in the dimly lit closet. She felt his head shake against her neck. Sayuki's lips twitched into a smile, before she ruffled his hair lovingly. She knew he wouldn't, but she still couldn't seem to trust him if she didn't ask. "Why not..?"

"Why should I tell them? I know what they're like... I wouldn't feed you to the wolves." Kei said firmly as he brought his legs closer to himself, wrapping his arms around them tightly. His head was lowered and he looked much younger than his age as sympathy clouded his face. Sayuki leaned against him, and closed her eyes once again. As she listened to their slow breathing in sync, she slowly began to drift into sleep. Before she knew it, they both were gone into their dreams.

* * *

Sayuki jumped as the closet door was slammed to the side. Her eyes opened to a blinding light and she flinched. Beside her, her brother moaned as he too awoke from sleep. Sayuki had to blink a few times before she could make out the angry figure in front of her. Her second sister stood there, hands on hips as she tapped her foot impatiently. "Why the hell didn't you come when you were called for?"

"I'm sorry Suzu... I didn't hear." Sayuki whispered her lie as she sat up straight. She bit her lip, glancing at the clock behind her sister. It was already past eight in the night. "We fell asleep in here talking..."

"I'm not stupid. I know you were trying to hide. Stop being such a brat and come out already. Don't make me come and get you every time I visit." Suzu replied exasperated. "Why do you have to make life so damn difficult all the time?"

"You're the one being a brat..." Rei replied sleepily as he yawned. He stretched; more relaxed then Sayuki when it came to their older sister. Even though he was a year younger than Sayuki, and three below Suzu and her twin Yumiko he didn't act it. Sometimes Sayuki thought he was older than them all. He was much more responsible than Sayuki and sometimes even their sisters. He was also the only boy, their only other sibling being four, Ai. He was surrounded by girls; Sayuki thought maybe that's why he was.

"I don't want to hear that from someone like you." Suzu muttered coldly, before whipping around on her heel and walking towards the door. She turned to look back at them and narrowed her eyes. "Don't make me come back up here for you Sayuki. They want to see you at the table NOW." Her sister empathized the last word in a warning not to dawdle.

As her sister left the room, Sayuki let out her breathe not realizing she had been holding it in. Still she didn't move. Her brother was the first to exit the closet, standing outside it and stretching. He smiled warmly at her, helping to comfort her fast heart rate. He held out his hand to her, as his shaggy blond hair hid his blue eyes. Sayuki took it tentatively and he pulled her out from the shadows of the closet.

"I didn't eat, do you mind if I come down with you?" Rei asked casually as she fidgeted with the dress she wore. Sayuki looked from the dress to his soft eyes, and smiled. She nodded gently, and he smiled, grabbing her hand once again to hold it. She had seen him eat earlier. She knew he wasn't going for that but for her. He could always tell when she was afraid and knew very well how troubled she was when it came to her parents. Having him there would make it easier, but still she didn't want to go.

"Thank you." Sayuki whispered as he led her out from the room and down the stairs. He just smiled at her before turning to look ahead. As they made their way through the house and approached the dining room they stopped. Rei smiled at her one more time, and squeezed her hand as they entered the area.

Sayuki's father sat at the far end of the table. He was a tall man who was rather handsome for his age. His hair was black speckled with gray hairs. His face was sharp, his eyes narrow and cold. Unlike Sayuki and her brother his eyes were a dark black like their twin sisters. He sat straight in his chair, his shoulder straight and wide. His face was covered by the newspaper he was reading, but Sayuki already knew the expression he wore. She didn't see much of a change from it ever.

Her father snapped his paper, lowering it so they could see his face. Sayuki knew he had heard them enter, and swallowed nervously. He didn't look at her though, but instead kept his eyes glued to the paper. He drank from the coffee that sat beside him, sipping it before placing it back down. It made a clanging sound as it hit the saucer. "Sit." With that one word from him, Sayuki didn't think and sat obediently. Her brother went to the kitchen, his eyes locked on their father.

As if on cue her mother entered the room, her blond hair tied in a tight bun. Her mother was just a few inches shorter than her father, but Sayuki felt like she was just as tall as her six foot father. Her blue eyes were a replica of Sayuki's but were touched up with light makeup to make them brighter. Her mother was on the older side, but had few wrinkles. Sayuki always thought her mother might be beautiful but her mother's expression seemed to stop that thought. She couldn't think of her as beautiful, she was too scared of her.

Sayuki crossed and uncrossed her legs nervously. Her mother silently sat at the other end with her father. She clasped her hands together slowly, and looked at Sayuki from the corner of her eye. Sayuki averted her eyes from her mother and looked to the ground. Her mother let out a sigh. "You don't have anything to say for yourself?"

Sayuki looked up, alarmed by her tone and the questioned. She looked over at her brother for an explanation but he looked just as confused as she was. She looked back at her father to see if he knew anything, but he still seemed to pay no attention to her. She looked to her mother her eyes wide at the sight of the sudden chill she felt at her mother's glare.

"You're going to keep up the innocent act?" Her mother asked coldly. Sayuki still said nothing, her tongue twisted and at a loss for words. She brought her hand to her mouth out of nervous habit. After a moment of chilling silence between them, Sayuki couldn't handle the stare from her mother any further. She decided to speak up, but she didn't get the chance. Her mother's hand suddenly slammed against the table. The shock from the sudden attack made her father's cup jump from the saucer. The coffee spilt a few drops before landing noisily back. "Say something!"

Her mother's screech rang through her ears. She flinched out of the piercing cry. She didn't regain herself fast enough for her mother though. Her mother put her head into her hand and rubbed her temple roughly. Still between her long fingers that hid her face, Sayuki could see her mother's cold stone eyes that at the same time seemed to be worn. "Fine, keep up the act, I'll tell you. Your school interrupted me during an important meeting to call and inform me of your sudden absence."

Sayuki's eyes grew even larger. She had forgotten about leaving school early and the consequences. She had been so shaken up by everything; it hadn't crossed her mind. "I had to leave..." Sayuki spoke softly, her voice wavering.

"Dare I ask the reason?" Sayuki's head shot up from the ground where it seemed to look once again. The reaction didn't seem to shock her mother, but anger her. Sayuki could tell her mother already had made out where she had been in her mind. It most likely wasn't even close to the truth.

"I wasn't feeling well. I came straight home, I'm sorry I didn't inform the school!" Sayuki's voice grew louder but her uncertainty in their belief and despair showed in her voice. "I just felt so bad I didn't get the chance..." Her voice drowned together as her mother's face grew darker with disbelief and disgust. Sayuki dug her nails into her palm as her mouth hung open. No matter what she could say, nothing would change her mother's mind.

"You expect me to believe that?" Her mother asked calmly. Before she could even mutter a word her mother continued after letting out a loud exhausted sigh. "Why can't you be like your sisters? They were always decent during their school years. Of course there's the exception of Yomiko, but she never gave us this much trouble... She never went running around town like some sort of hooligan." Her mother dropped her head into her propped hand.

Sayuki stood up abruptly suddenly finding the strength. "I didn't do such thing! I came directly home! Why won't you believe me!?" Sayuki protested, her arms shakily holding her up against the table. Her mother looked up to her, her eyes blank. There was no getting through to her. She would believe nothing.

They both said nothing; they didn't move. Suddenly her father closed his paper softly and placed it on the table. He finished his coffee, now Sayuki and her mother's eyes both on him. He stood after finishing, the only sound of his chair against the ground moving. He stepped towards Sayuki passing her mother in silence. With a swift motion her brought his arm up and dropped it as he struck her face sharply.

"Don't be so disobedient to your mother." Sayuki's eyes were glazed over and wide with shock. She brought her hand to her red cheek. It stung but she still touched it. She suddenly couldn't breathe or swallow as he continued his voice distant and uncaring. "We allowed you to go to a public school unlike your siblings. Even under my best judgement I allowed you to go there with all those low class scum. I knew you would disappoint us, but you begged. Don't be so ungrateful and apologize. If I hear you skip out again you won't live such a life of luxury."

Sayuki gagged on her words. His eyes pierced through her and she stepped back. She bumped into the table and rattled the cups on it. Clasping her hands on the edge of the table, her vision began to blur. Everything turned hazy and fuzzy and she couldn't make out her parents anymore. She gripped tighter. Everything began to spin as she felt her own legs shake.

"Don't act like you were victimized and so pathetically. Stand up straight and show some pride." Her father instructed each word like a whip at Sayuki's face. She tried to stand straight, but her legs were too weak. Her father grabbed her arm and pulled her up roughly. As soon as he let her go though, she fell to her knees, cold tears streaming down her face. "I didn't expect much from you anyways..."

"Why don't you just stop already!?" Sayuki didn't look up as her brother's voice rang in the room. "She said she didn't do anything, so she didn't. Stop attacking her already!" Sayuki looked up to her brother. She blinked, clearing her eyes of tears so she could see him standing in front of her protectively now. A cigarette dangled from his lips, not yet lit. She grabbed onto his pants and tugged on them. He didn't turn around though.

"What's in your mouth?" Her father asked, ignoring his earlier comments. His eyes zoned in on the death stick, before meeting with Rei's determined eyes. When Rei said nothing, their father raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer still.

"It's a cigarette you jacka-" Rei's words were cut off as his father swung his arm once again that night, hitting Rei across the face. His cigarette flung from his mouth and down onto the floor. Their father walked over to it and crushed it with his foot silently. He lifted his foot and looked at the remains. He began to walk out of the room, only stopping to speak once more.

"I didn't send you to good school for you to act like such a fool. You're to take over the family business, so stop with any other nonsense you may be doing. I don't have time to babysit you both every minute." With that he left the room. Nobody spoke as they listened to his footsteps head up the stairs.

Rei bent down to Sayuki's level and grabbed her hand. She gripped his hand tightly as he helped her to stand up. She held onto his arm tightly as they both faced their mother. She said nothing though. Instead Sayuki's eyes moved to her brother's red cheek guiltily. She knew he had only done it for her sake. He had wanted to distract her father away from her before she broke finally. She didn't want to be the cause of his pain though, but she had been.

Staring up at her brother's expressionless face she knew the anger that was brewing behind his blue eyes. He would never admit to it being her fault, but she knew it was. The fights between her father and him were often from him rescuing her. To prove her wrong though he'd hold his anger inside and put up his usual grinning face. Eventually he'd lash out; she wouldn't be able to handle it though if he did end up in trouble.

"Rei... I'm sorry!" Sayuki pleaded for his soft forgiving smile with her words. Like a soft rain he washed away specks of her guilt as he smiled angelically and whispered for her not to worry about it. The smile vanished though as he turned back to his mother and her heart plummeted at the sight. She grabbed her chest and twisted her clothing as she clutched to her shirt. She felt a sharp pain ring through her chest but couldn't cry out from the shock. The sudden pain shocked her and it showed on her face.

"Stop acting the little victim..." Her mother's words brought another sharp pain to her heart as she seemed to notice Sayuki's pain. She looked up to her mother and cried out a plea for help with her eyes. Her mother's glazed over eyes only held coldness and resentment. Sayuki brought her other hand to arm and held it against her chest. Her nails dug into her skin. Slowly the sharp pain in her chest dispatched as a numbing pain sent a sensation through her arm. She dug her nails in deeper erasing the pain from her chest completely. Sayuki preferred the pain in her arm, the pain she controlled.

"Stop..." Sayuki muttered helplessly as she focused now on her arm. Her mother sighed from the table and shook her head. Everything began to clear from her mind as she stared at her mother. All that stayed were the eyes of her father and mother accusing her and denying her. Her nails dug further and Sayuki gritted her teeth from the pain.

"You're causing so much trouble for us. Why can't you be more proper? Now I'll have to deal with your father and the guilt from not paying attention more to your schooling..." Her mother complained tiredly. They eyes appeared again, stronger now. As she dug in further she felt warmth touch her hand as it went deeper. She didn't look down though she just stared along with her brother. "I won't be getting my proper amount of sleep thanks to this whole ordeal..."

"I'm sorry..." Sayuki spoke slowly. She stepped back a few times. She turned around and without a thought ran to her room. She heard her brother behind her, but she didn't look back. She closed the door behind her. Her legs wobbled and she fell onto the floor with a thud. She felt dizzy from all that happened. She lifted her arm and stared at her arm as she unclenched her nails from her skin. Her red blood spilled from the small cuts in her arms she had created. She stared at her arm in disbelief and horror from what she had done with just her hand. A tear slipped from under her eyelid as she closed it, dropping hair arms to her side as she sat in the dark.


	7. Chapter 7: Apologize

"Cheer up Sayuki." Rei begged Sayuki as they walked down the streets. Sayuki didn't respond though as she zoned in and out of her thoughts. With each step they took, the more weight Sayuki felt she was carrying on her shoulders. She didn't want to go to school; she wanted to cower in fear in the safety of her closet with her brother at her side. She couldn't though. Not after last night. She had to go to school in fear of her parents' cold wrath. She couldn't skip again.

Sayuki felt her arms getting shook and she came from the black hole in her mind. In front of her stood her brother. Behind him, there stood the darkening shadow of her school. Today even in the bright sun it seemed like a monster that wished to chew her up and spit her back out, crippled and helpless. Her arm began to sting from the harsh grip and she finally focused on her brother's worried stricken face.

"I'm sorry I got lost in my mind," Sayuki apologized with a fake small smile plastered onto her pale face. He didn't seem to fall for it and his eyes filled with dread. She grabbed his hand reassuringly and squeezed it. A smile grew on his face and he began to speak to her, his voice chipper.

"Forget about everything that happened. It's nothing at all! Just look forward to school and seeing all of your friends! You have that right?" Rei asked her, his smile blinding her. She couldn't hide behind her smile though, not even her usual weak one. Her eyes shrunk and darkened as she looked behind him again at the looming school. Cries of laughter and joy could be heard from the yard around it. Those sounds only echoed and created a high pitched pain in her head.

"I want to transfer..." Sayuki whimpered softly, her head down. Her brother's eyes widened. With his free hand he tilted her head up and examined her face seriously. Her eyes were glistening with tears that were about to emerge. He smiled softly and hugged her.

"Then transfer. I don't know the reason why, but I don't want to see you cry anymore." Her brother spoke gently, but he seemed to be so much older than Sayuki. She felt embarrassed that she had to get comfort from her younger brother whom she should be protecting and comforting. She felt so weak and dependant. She couldn't understand why he stood by her side every time she was down. She couldn't make sense of it. Why would anyone want to? "Do you want to tell me why?"

"I can't do either of those..." Sayuki sniffed as she attempted to stop the tears. She took in a deep breath and blew it out slowly to stop the sobbing. Soon her tears began to stop flowing and she wiped her eyes with the hem of her sleeve. Once her face was clear of tears she smiled weakly at him apologetically. She couldn't rely on her younger brother any further. She was only bringing him down more and more. He had too many problems himself being the only son of their family.

"Why can't you?" Rei urged her to tell him further but she shook her head slowly, closing her eyes to hide from his hurt eyes. Instead she just smiled and took another deep breath before she spoke.

"I can't disappoint anyone anymore or be such a burden." Sayuki replied strongly, the strongest she ever had before. She imagined Sakura who she idolized for her strength at times and tried to think how she would react in this situation. She imagined her burning smile, and replicated it. "I'm going to become stronger and protect myself so I don't worry you anymore with my silly tears." To her surprise when she opened her eyes she saw her brother smiling proudly.

"You're never a burden to me, but I know you'll definitely get stronger! Maybe you'll even be able to beat me in an arm wrestling contest!" Rei chuckled as he let her go, and stepped back. He began walking backwards as he waved goodbye to her. "If you need anything call me and I'll definitely save you within a flash!"

"Thank you." Sayuki smiled brightly, her face now glowing with new energy. He grinned back, before turning around and running towards his own school. Sayuki sighed, feeling a little lonely as he left her. She shook her head vigorously though and kept her smile up, letting only one tear slide down her face as she promised it would be her very last one. She was going to be strong from this moment on and become a different person once and for all. She had to, for the sake of her brother and friends. She had no choice or else she'd crack under the pressure.

"Are you crying?" Sayuki looked to her side to see Gaara coming towards her. She shook her head wildly, blowing the tear from her face. She took a deep breath and smiled. First, she would have to start with Gaara.

"Good morning!" Sayuki burst out as cheerfully as she could. Gaara looked slightly taken aback by her response and tripped. He caught himself though and looked at her blankly now. He blinked a few times, tilting his head as he studied her. He looked as though he was unsure of whom she was; if she was the girl he had seen the few times before.

"Good morning..." He spoke cautiously afraid she'd break like ice if he did something wrong. She didn't seem normal for a girl who had been drowned in somebody else's lunch. It was much too odd for him to comprehend. He decided to risk cracking the ice though. "Are you feeling better since yesterday?"

"Of course! I'm going to be strong now, like Sakura!" Gaara said an eyebrow at the comment. She seemed to be trying way too hard, but it seemed like a start for her. She was going to need to be tough if she wanted to stay at school. He smiled for a moment, but hid it quickly realizing he had let one slip. She didn't seem to catch it, lost in her own thoughts. It was only until he started to walk away that she spoke again. "I need to apologize to you."

"Apologize?" Gaara questioned her curiously as she looked to the ground. Suddenly her head shot up though and she took a deep breath. She looked him straight in the eye with determination surprising him once again.

"When you were in need when you were being attacked, I ran away from you. I didn't want to help you and you helped me so willingly and easily when Karin turned against me. It meant a lot to me... and I only wish I had the strength to help you then..." Sayuki explained nervously as she fidgeted with her hands. Gaara sighed, not expecting that from her. "I wasn't just frightened of them, but... of you too."

"It's fine, I can handle myself. Don't strain yourself to come near me." Gaara spitted out, his words more harsh than he had meant for them to be. She flinched at his words. Sayuki's eyes began to get teary and he tried to think of what to do. She took another breath though and with that her tears were gone as she blinked.

"I want to be your friend!" Sayuki shouted loud enough for other people to stop and stare at her. She noticed and her face turned red from embarrassment, but she kept her eyes locked on Gaara. Gaara looked at anyone and with a glare sent them fleeing. He had been shocked by her outburst.

"I don't think that's wise considering our position on the food chain at school..." Gaara replied, glancing towards the school ahead of them both. He looked back to Sayuki, shoving his hands roughly into his pockets before continuing. "We'd make for an easier target together and they'd make it worse for being together."

Sayuki stood there silent; her eyes lowered once more in defeat. Gaara took notice of this and felt a tang of sympathy for her. "I understand why you wouldn't want to be friend with me." Sayuki's voice was filled with defeat and heartbreak. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty especially when he wasn't used to this kind of behaviour.

He sighed and with his best effort forced himself to weasel out a smile. "Sorry I didn't mean that... it's fine if we're friends." Gaara relented. Sayuki's head whipped up making Gaara flinch as her neck cracked from the speed. Her eyes were wide with joy but they suddenly darkened and dulled. It was different from her usual shaky smile or disappointed face. It was more serious; more frightening and spooky. It didn't suit the sweet, fragile, innocent girl she seemed to be.

"I don't need another disappointment or broken promise..." Gaara stepped back as a chill ran up his back from her scratchy, yet deep voice. He couldn't speak. She seemed like another person, her voice and how she held herself were different from her usual unconfident self. He usually wasn't afraid of anything, ever, but for some reason the change in her told his instincts to be afraid.

"You won't..." The only words he could think of were those. He wasn't sure why she changed or what brought it on, but he didn't want to taunt her. He had the feeling this wasn't a side of Sayuki he wished to meet very often.

"So we'll be friend?" The light unsure voice was back, filled with joy. Gaara blinked. He wasn't sure if he had imagined the mood swing or if she was really two sided. Even her slumped shoulders and weak stance was back. It was really like he had imagined it all. He didn't believe it though; it wasn't something he'd just imagine. It was too abnormal. A voice in his head told him he'd have to watch her carefully and protect her to keep her normal. Was she cracking from the pressure?

"Yeah, friends..." Gaara nodded and Sayuki grinned widely for the first time. Was she as screwed up as he was? Was it even possible?

* * *

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I relate bits and pieces to Sayuki and add experiences from my friends to her. I try to make her as relatable as possible even if it's not to the same extreme... just the same feelings and insecurities a lot of other people have. Well anyways enjoy and I hope you continue to review and even make hypothesis to the the future. I;d appreciate it if you also checked out any of my other stories or future ones! x]


	8. Chapter 8: Lying

"She'll last two days." That voice came from the left of Sayuki. It was a boy's voice and it was obviously about her. She could feel the eyes drowning her with their stares. She didn't look though; she didn't acknowledge them. Sakura had warned her not to. It was like satisfying them with a reaction or letting them know you're concerned or worried. It gave them some sick thrill to see her suffering.

"Why are they together? Are they making it easier to pick them off by grouping off together?" A girl this time. Her voice was sickly sweet. This time Sayuki did look towards the voice. It was inevitable, and Sayuki whipped her gaze away from the thin raven haired girl who spoke. She realized the girl's gaze was on Gaara who stood beside her though.

"They should just get it over with already and leave."

"Do they even have friends?"

"Who'd be their friends? So gross."

"Leave."

"You're unwanted."

Sayuki sank into herself as she walked. Her pace quickened and she could feel Gaara's questioning eyes on her back as she got ahead. Everyone had already heard about them. She didn't think the rest of the school would ever care. She was swiftly becoming an outcast. Not that she had been much of a social butterfly, but she had been trying to get along with friends more. She had honestly tried, and everything was now crashing down.

"Do you really want to start!?" Gaara's voice was low but sharp enough for Sayuki to hear and rip away from her mind. She snapped around to look at Gaara grasping some guy by his shirt, no fist raised, but they stood only a centimetre apart. The guy Gaara gripped looked slightly taken aback but he held his stance, their glares matching.

"Gaa-" Sayuki began to call out to him but stopped when a blur of pink blocked her view. Next she saw Sakura's small arms shove the two apart with the help of surprise. They both staggered from her small thrust.

"Gaara, let's go. Don't start stupid fights. They're just bored with themselves." Sakura flashed a glare at the by standing crowd before she whipped around to Sayuki. She grabbed her wrist with a swift motion and began to pull her down the hallway. Sayuki began to match Sakura's pace before looking back to see if Gaara followed. She was surprised to see he had, though hung back a bit behind them throwing threatening looks towards those who whispered.

"We just passed our class..." She caught a glimpse of the fiery red hair of Karin as they zipped passed the door. The sight of it clamped Sayuki's mouth closed on mentioning they had passed it again and instead followed Sakura, whose grip had lightened.

"We're skipping first. I need some time to breathe." Sakura explained with a huff as they exited the emergency doors. It was already close to class starting at this point, so there were only a few students who had decided to loiter about outside.

"Did something happen..?" Sayuki couldn't remember a time Sakura had not been in class. She didn't seem the type to skip out from class. She was always just there, never having a day of ill. Even if she was ill, she would probably push passed any groggy feelings or even a high fever. She acted like nothing could stop her.

Sakura ignored her questions as she continued to lead the way. The scraping of Gaara's shoes against the paved path could be heard behind Sayuki as none of them spoke. Sayuki became nervous. No time since Sayuki had seen or even been with Sakura had she been so quiet and held-back. She usually always talked and told Sayuki what was going on. It unnerved her. It was just weird and Sayuki grew more scared of what was happening.

"Sakura!" Sayuki shouted surprising authoritative considering the slight shake in her voice. It was enough to stop Sakura right in her tracks. Especially for her, who was used to the silent follower. She had immediately stopped at the sound of Sayuki's voice, dropping her grip on the girl's wrist.

Sayuki stood straight up, her stance strong unlike the norm. Her arms were held against her side, her hands clenched in small tiny fists. Sakura just blinked in confusion. "I asked what was wrong Sakura!" Sayuki repeated her eyes unwavering now, her voice completely strong. The tiny bit of unsecurity in her voice before was gone like it had never been there. Sakura seemed unwilling to tell her anything though.

"What happened?" Gaara repeated for Sayuki as he stepped closer towards them. He seemed to be also taken aback by Sayuki`s stance, but at the same time like he wasn`t completely surprised by it like Sakura. Sakura averted her eyes from Sayuki`s cold determined eyes and to Gaara`s stern, knowing stare.

"It's nothing... I just needed air." Sakura said after a silent pause between them passed. Gaara's brows furrowed in disbelief as the sweet, innocent eyes of Sayuki seemed to darken in the same thought as Gaara. Sakura swallowed, not willing to let the truth out. She didn't want to worry the tiny girl. Instead she raced through her mind for something she thought would satisfy them both. "I... just had a fight with my parents this morning about missing school. They were worried I would make it a constant thing, and I just got filled with hot air. Needed a breather. Sorry for dragging you out here with me. It was selfish."

Sakura quickly explained herself, trying not to pause so they would suspect anything. For the most part she was more worried about Gaara picking up on it then Sayuki. She didn't want him to bring it up though. She thought Sayuki herself would accept this, especially after the way she had reacted about her own parents finding out about it. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened with her parents now, but decided not to ask quite yet.

"Oh. I'm sorry it's my fault you got in trouble..." Sayuki mumbled apologetically, back to her meek self. Sakura smiled slightly at the return, until Sayuki suddenly stepped towards her. She was so quick and swift that she didn't even notice her move until she was right up in her face. Sayuki studied Sakura's face for a few seconds before her hand reached out and touched below Sakura's left side of her lip and ran it up her cheek gently.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked the girl weakly. She was beginning to feel like her and Sayuki had switched roles now. Except Sayuki was stronger than Sakura; she'd even say creepier.

"Your face is bruising... I can see it under your foundation. You lip is cut too." Sayuki observed; her voice calm and soft as she traced her from her face to the cheek once again. Sakura's eyes widened slightly as she said this. She had looked in the mirror before and thought it had been covered fairly well. The mark was almost invisible, even at a close inspection.

"Oh that..." Sakura laughed nervously. She paused in thought. "I just got it when I was playing around with some friends after school. Soccer got a little rough and I got hit a bit. Nothing too big though," Sakura fibbed quickly. She smiled as brightly as she could.

"Do you honestly expe-" Gaara was cut off as Sayuki's chilling voice rang in their ears.

"You're lying to me." Sayuki accused, her eyes growing slightly while she frowned at the same time. Her eyes were filled with the cold accusation she spoke in her voice. A slight breeze blew passed them and the blond strands of her hair hid Sayuki's blue eyes for an instant. She took this moment to speak before she became paralyzed by the stunningly bright blue eyes.

"I'm not. I swear." Sakura said, her voice slightly shaken for the first time around Sayuki. She noticed Gaara step towards the blond haired girl and put his pale hand on her shoulder. Sayuki looked back at his as he spoke her name quietly his eyes wide too. She only glanced at him for a moment though before she took no notice of him and looked back at Sakura. Her eyes pierced Sakura's as she spoke.

"You are." Sayuki stated matter-of-factly in a cold voice as she frowned deeper. She stepped away from both of them, and glanced back and forth. "You are and I'll find out what the truth it later. I'm not going to sit back any more and watch like I'm not the person involved." Sayuki paused. "I'm going to take control from now on."

"Sayuki I'm not ly-" Sakura began to explain herself quickly as though she had committed some crime. Though lying probably was a crime in its own way; a crime she was about to do once more. She didn't know how else to break her from her trance like personality.

"I believe you Sakura." Sayuki spoke, the worry and innocence swiftly picked up in her voice again. Her eyes sparkled with her sincerity. This confused Sakura and questioned her sudden change. She opened her mouth to speak but she caught a glance at Gaara who shook his head. He mouthed to not say anything about it. She looked back to the girl in front of her, studying her. She was slightly slouched once again and kept glancing to the ground as she looked her up and down.

"Okay..." Sakura nodded, unsure of the girl in front of her.

"Sakura, I shouldn't be out here. If my parents find out that I left again without telling the teachers... they will-" Sayuki began but choked on her words as she looked at Sakura and Gaara. Sakura blinked. She quickly reached into the back of her dark blue skinny jeans and pulled out a paper. She opened it and held it out to Sayuki.

"What is this?" Sayuki questioned curiously as she warily reached out and took it from her hands. She glanced up and down at the neat and elegant handwriting on the smooth white paper.

"It's your excuse out. I took a picture of a letter I saw in your parent's room and with my artistic abilities perfected her signature and writing," Sakura explained as Sayuki looked at the letter. It was a letter excusing her from class due to a dentist appointment. "Oh, sorry. It was rude of me to go in there, but I figured it may come in handy in the future. I was just worried about you and what they would do..." Sakura attempted to justify her intrusion. Sayuki just shook her head.

"It's fine..." Sayuki said, as she examined the paper. It looked exactly like her mother's writing. She would have believed she wrote it too if it weren't for the fact Sakura told her it had been her. It was identical. She could almost imagine her mother's long fingers writing the letters delicately as though any slight error would ruin the entire thing. She looked away from it and slipped it into the tiny black back pack she carried on her back.

"There's no point going back now..." Gaara spoke suddenly. Sakura nodded in agreement. The bell had rung even before they had begun speaking. Gaara sighed and glanced back at the school. "I'm not going to bother going to any of my classes."

"That's probably for the best. Maybe we should all just skip. I could quickly write you up another note for the whole day Sayuki." Sakura suggested. Sayuki looked at her questioningly. Sakura had been the one who told her to go to school no matter what. To show no fear by walking in with a straight back and her eyes up. Now she was saying it was best not to go?

"I think I should go though Sakura. I can't let them think they scared me away... right?" Sayuki questioned her, her eyes running up and down Sakura. Sakura nodded in agreement.

"Usually yes, but today... I would just feel better if you didn't. We can go to my house. My parents went away on business yesterday." Sakura informed her. Sayuki nodded before she paused. For a moment as Sayuki looked up at Sakura, she swore she could see the same cold stare from before. When she blinked though, the same innocent face was back.

"I'll see you two later then." Gaara broke into Sakura's thoughts. Sakura shook her head lightly before she looked up at the red head.

"You come over too." Sakura suggested. He looked surprised by the invitation. He nodded an instant later though and Sayuki smiled.

"I just have to grab some things from my locker. Do you two need anything?" Gaara asked as he began to walk back towards the doors. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his black jeans.

"Grab me a drink on your way back." Sakura instructed. Without looking at them he just nodded in response before he disappeared from their sight.

Gaara walked towards the door of the school. He ruffled his hair as he walked up to the door. He replayed the moments with Sayuki from that day. He wasn't what he had ever imagined before. She was always the meek girl in the class who didn't particularly stand out. She looked so gullible and a pushover. She seemed to have snapped suddenly when she had spoken to him earlier that morning and moments ago with Sakura.

Something snapped behind him and Gaara looked back to see nothing. He scrunched his eyes as he peered around the area and shrugged. He opened the door with a slow motion before stepping inside. The cool air of the school swished over him as he entered. The halls were basically silently except from the class discussions in the rooms that floated out.

He quickly walked to his locker in silence. He sighed as he turned the lock into the combination. Soon he swung the door open and grabbed a bag and some books. He slammed the door close before locking it once again. He began to head towards the door before he remembered the drink. With a quick turn he moved down another hall where the juice machines sat. He slipped a few quarters into the hole before clicking on a drink. He waited for it to fall before he left again.

Gaara stepped outside the doors minutes later. He saw a pair of shadows stepping towards him and the shuffling of their feet. "Hey, here's your drink Sakura..." Gaara's words drifted off as he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He coughed forcibly as the first jabbed farther. He felt another sharp blow to the right side of his face with a crack. He bit his own cheek in surprise from the blow and could taste the irony blood in his mouth.

"What the hell. You bastards!" Gaara roared in anger at the first chance he got. With no response in words, another blow came from behind. The steel toed end of the boot cracked another blow to his back thrusting him forward and onto the paved ground. He began to push himself back up to retaliate now that no one held him back but felt himself forced back down. His arms were grabbed and held against his back and several blows to his back were made.


	9. Chapter 9: Freak

"Where is he?" Sakura wondered aloud to Sayuki. "It shouldn't take so long to grab some books and a drink." Sakura complained further. Sayuki just drifted off into her own thoughts as she sat there. Sakura was right. She couldn't help but worry about him. After all things were tough for all of them. They were all in the same situation. Then again everyone was in class, so it wasn't like they could go after him, right? They were safe.

"Maybe he got caught by a teacher wandering around?" Sayuki suggested, thinking on the brighter side of things. Sakura looked at her and nodded. She sighed deeply.

"I wish we had known his number so we could at least ask him without risking getting caught ourselves," Sakura mumbled as she checked the time on her phone once again. She looked towards where he had left them. It had already been twenty minutes.

"Sakura..." Sayuki barely spoke her name, but Sakura could hear the worry in her voice as she looked towards her. Sayuki looked up at Sakura from the grass where she had sat. Her eyes were wide and slightly glazed over in thought as she stared up.

"Don't worry, he's perfectly fine Sayuki. He probably got hungry when he passed the snack machine and chowed down. Guys get hungry at the randomest times. Some of my friends they can eat at least five burgers including fries..." Sakura rambled to distract Sayuki but she shook her head.

"No, not that. I wanted to ask about before." Sayuki explained quietly as she looked away and towards the gate that surrounded their school. Sakura looked at her questioningly and Sayuki could feel her stare on her back. Her eyes narrowed, out of Sakura's view as she spoke again. "You said your parents went away on business yesterday?"

"Umm yeah... why?" Sakura asked confused.

"No reason... just making sure they were gone..." Sayuki responded nonchalantly as her eyes narrowed further. Now she knew for sure. She wasn't going to let Sakura know; she knew she had her reasons for it. She turned back to Sakura and smiled, before turning her head back. They sat there in silence for the next few minutes.

"Maybe we should go check on Gaara." Sakura broke the silence again. "It's been too long now. This is becoming ridiculous." She crossed her arms in thought. Sayuki nodded and stood from the ground. She wiped her pants clean before she stood up straight. "He better not be goofing off... though I could hardly imagine him doing that."

"Let's just hurry..." Sayuki suggested worriedly as she began to quickly move towards the school. They pushed through the doors they had exited only to find the halls empty except for a few wandering students. There were no red heads sticking out though, and as she looked more, Sayuki grew more impatient and worried about him.

"Let's stick together and just search everywhere. We should look in our class first..." Sakura instructed as she began to walk back towards their class. Sayuki followed in perfect sync behind her, glancing in every class window just in case. Sayuki stood back as they reached their class and Sakura crept towards the door. It was closed. So she peered through the window. She only looked for a moment before whipping her head away from the glass.

Sakura ducked and came back to Sayuki. She shook her head with a frown. "He's not in there. I only got a quick glance before sensei turned around, but I never spotted him. His hair is hard to miss." Sakura sighed. "Where could he have gone? I really am beginning to worry..." Sayuki bit her lip.

The both began to wander down the halls as the bell rang. Sakura frowned. It had been way too long now. Something had to have happened. She couldn't imagine him just walking off on them with no explanation. He was mysterious and odd at times, but he wouldn't ditch. Not when they would be left so worried considering their situation. No. He couldn't have.

"We looked everyone in the school. The school isn't that big either..." Sayuki pointed out worriedly.

"Without Gloom Doom, they've got no one to protect them," Karin's sickly sweet voice passed by with a confident giggle. She paused and glanced back at them. "Not that he could have done much; he hardly put up a fight."

Sakura's eyes widened and she stormed over to the girl. She grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. Karin smacked Sakura's hand away and glared back at the Sakura, her eyes just as intense with anger. "Don't ever touch me with your filthy hands," Karin warned her as her eyes narrowed.

"What did you do to him?!" Sakura demanded an answer, her fist clenched. Karin rolled her eyes and let out a mocking scoff. She held up her books and her eyes narrowed with a smug smile. She tapped the hardcover of her book with her finger making a tapping sound.

"See these? I was in class the entire time." Karin informed her through a smile. She dropped the books back to her side. "So how do you expect me to have done anything? I saw you with him earlier skipping class. Aren't you the one who should be worried about what they did wrong?" Karin mused coyly. She looked at Sakura and then back at Sayuki who stood behind. Her eyes gleamed knowingly as she continued, "Or was there some reason you avoided the class?"

"Shut your lips before I staple them closed," Sakura threatened angrily. Karin's smile dropped slightly.

"Let's go. Let them go on a hunt." Karin commanded her friends as she stepped from Sakura's path and began to step down the hall. Sakura grabbed her shoulder again and Karin put her hand on Sakura's. She turned her head slightly. "I told you NOT to touch me." Karin repeated in a hiss as she dug her nails into Sakura's hand. Sakura snapped her hand back.

"Where. Is. He?" Sakura pronounced each word slowly as she held her hand in the other. The wounded hand was clenched in a tight fist uncaring of the cuts the nails had caused. Karin turned forward though and continued walking away.

"The area outside the art room is always so empty. No one ever goes out there." Karin spoke in thought to her friends as they continued walking. "Then again, that's where all the trash gets laid out." With that Karin turned a corner. Sakura began to follow up with an attack to the red haired girl, but was stopped by a small hand on her shoulder.

"We have to go to the art room..." Sayuki pleaded with Sakura with her eyes. Sakura's eyebrows rose from the glare they had been locked in. She blinked a few times to clear her head of Karin and the things she'd love to do to the girl. She nodded in agreement and without a word began to head towards the art room, bypassing all those who walked.

Sayuki and Sakura stood in front of a big red door. With no window they couldn't peer inside. Sayuki couldn't even remember being in the room ever before. She had no idea what was even inside. She had hardly even heard of anyone else going inside. "Maybe there's a class going on inside..." Sayuki whispered, somehow afraid they could be heard from those within the red door.

"There isn't, don't worry. It's only used for club activities and on two days of the week." Sakura explained as she touched the bright red color. Her hand moved down to the doorknob and she slowly turned it. Unlocked. She pushed the door open and peered inside only to see a dark room except for the small light that crept in from the hall. "See?"

Sakura flicked on a light after fumbling against inside the wall. A bright light flashed and covered the whole room, blinding them. Sakura stepped inside, followed by Sayuki's cautious steps. "It's so empty..." Sayuki observed in a quiet voice. The walls of the room were white and inside were a few large white cabinets and five white tables covered in old paint spills organized in an x position. There were only about 16 chairs. In the very back corner lay another door, this time a blue one. Sayuki immediately headed for it, but Sakura went passed her and pushed through it.

"Gaara!?" Sakura cried out for him loudly. Sayuki echoed her call as she went outside. They immediately spotted him sitting against a full tin trash can. He looked up at them with his emerald eyes before turning them to look the other way.

"What?" Gaara asked coldly as he spit in front of himself on the ground. They stepped towards him silently and stared at him. Sayuki immediately noticed the small cuts on his face and the growing bruise on his cheek. Her eyes widened at the mess he was in, but he sat there coolly. Sayuki stepped towards him and bent down to face him. He looked at her and repeated his first question. "What?"

"Did Karin and them jumped you." Sakura stated from behind Sayuki. She didn't need to ask, both Sayuki and her already knew. There was no one else who would stoop so low.

"Not so much." Gaara responded, a cold look in his eyes. He pulled out a cigarette as he spoke and then lit it with a lighter from his pocket. He hissed in pain as the end touched his lips. He licked the blood before he took a drag from the cancer stick. He breathed to the left away from Sayuki. "In a way, I suppose she was involved. Though it was more of your _lover boy."_ Gaara glared up at Sakura.

"Sasuke is still after you too?" Sakura asked, ignoring the last words laced with hate from him. Gaara grinned coldly and nodded before he took another drag. Before he finished Sayuki snatched the cigarette from his lips and threw it to the ground before smashing it with a small rock.

"What the Hell did you do that for!" Gaara asked harshly his eyes widening. Sayuki frowned at him, her eyes wide and sorry. She quickly pulled her bag off her shoulders and opened it. She reached inside and pulled out a tiny box. She opened it and pulled out a square package.

"Don't smoke. It's killing you..." Sayuki lectured him quietly in a caring voice. She opened the tiny package to reveal a larger band aid. She pulled out another tiny bottle and cloth. She wiped Gaara's face gruffly as he just sat there. She dropped the cloth and picked up the thin package. Peeling back the plastic she revealed a band aid that she stuck on his lower cheek to cover the cuts.

"That stung." Gaara complained as he eyed the destroyed cigarette angrily.

"This is my fault." Sayuki and Gaara both looked up at Sakura confused. Sayuki opened her mouth to object, but Sakura continued. "I shouldn't have let you go in alone. I just never thought they would attack you..." Sakura twisted her lips to the side in frustration.

"It's their fault..." Sayuki whispered icily as she dropped her head. Her blond bangs hid the upper half of her face but Sakura and Gaara didn't need to see her face. Her voice was enough. "They're all cruel, hateful, wild animals. I didn't do anything... It was just an accident..."

"You're right, we should be the ones attacking them," Gaara added with a short cold laugh of disgust. He winced and grabbed his side in pain. His eyes were scrunched in pain and his laughter was cut between with short coughs.

"Don't talk like that." Sakura warned. Neither of the two looked up, stuck in their own thoughts of anger. The more things happened the more Sayuki's thoughts became less of her usual innocent self, and more dark. Sayuki herself didn't even notice, but Sakura did and it bothered her. She was breaking in two. She could see the tiny girl slowly twisting with the anger and pain she was beginning to feel on a daily basis. Sayuki shared little of her home life to her, but her scared eyes as she spoke of it told her enough.

"Why not? He's right." Sayuki sneered with rage. She looked up at Sakura; her eye's blazing with both fear and pain. Sayuki's lip twitched as she imagined what they would do next. If they would come after her one day when she happened to be alone walking somewhere. Even Sakura could be attacked. It could go even further than a few cuts and bruises. She didn't know where they would stop.

"If we start thinking that way, we'll follow that and it will end up true. We will have to strike back." Sakura foreshadowed. She narrowed her eyes and bent down to their level. She grabbed onto Sayuki's arm and Gaara's. Her grip was tight. "Promise me you won't think or do anything. You'll end up in more trouble if you do. Leave this to me. I can and will get her to stop." Sakura promised confidently. Sayuki watched her silently then nodded. Gaara said nothing but grunted and pulled his arm away.

"What can you even do..?" Sayuki questioned doubtfully. She bit her lip. They had just dodged them after the incident and without doing anything Karin attacked Gaara. She had basically told them the same was going to be coming for them. "What do you plan to do? Talk with her? She's not a normal person!" Sayuki gasped.

"Talk? Hardly... no talking will make up for this." Gaara spat out bitterly.

"We can change this. I will end this all. We don't need to stoop to her level." Sakura assured him. He smiled coldly and chuckled. He sighed after a moment and narrowed his eyes at Sakura. He began to roll up the sleeve of his black shirt before he began.

"You don't even know their level..." Gaara spoke with shaky words as he attempted to contain his anger. He continued rolling up his sleeve and when he stopped Sayuki's eyes widened. She grabbed Gaara's arm and turned it slightly to see scratched markings on the upper left side of his arm. She turned it slightly to reveal all of the chicken scratch letters carved into his arm. RIP FREAK.

"Gaara... How could they do this to someone?" Sayuki squeaked in shocked fear. She brought her hands to her head and dug her fingers into her hair pushing her hair up into a wild style. She squeezed and dug her nails into her scalp as she continued. "What else is there to do but wait it out? I can't do it... every day coming back to this school... her eyes piercing into my heart as she thinks of some other sick thing to do! You won't always be there for me!"

"It wasn't just Karin. Remember that." Gaara spit out at Sakura harshly. She shoved his sleeve back down, hissing as the fabric burned as it sharply rubbed against the fresh wounds. Sakura opened her mouth but Gaara stopped her. "You'll defend him, but to me he was the one who did this. He was in that group. They won't stop until we're gone; out of their sight for miles. I have nowhere else and I'll be damned if I let those assholes do anymore without a fight."

"Gaara..." Sakura pleaded with him. He said nothing and stood up from his spot. He brushed his pants off before realizing how futile it was considering the mess he already was. He grabbed his bag and slumped it over his shoulder with a gruff throw. He flinched from his sore muscles and oncoming bruises before he began walking away.

"Come to my house." Sayuki begged as she ran after him. He glanced at her with cautiousness. Her eyes seemed to sway from the innocent vulnerable girl back to the haunting dark girl that emerged every few moments. He looked at her and nodded.

"Let's leave it to Sakura to stop it until tomorrow." Gaara spoke mockingly as he waited for the blond haired girl to catch up. Sayuki glanced back from each of them nervously. "If she can."

"Are you going to come with us..?" Sayuki asked Sakura hopefully. Sakura shook her head.

"I'm going to end this." Sakura declared. She turned around and headed towards the art room door. As she entered she remembered her earlier meet up with probably the same group who had attacked Sasuke. No, they were just Karin's friends. Girls alone couldn't have taken down Gaara. Still, they were enough to attack Sakura, and definitely Sayuki. They had proven that earlier that day when they had done the same as what had happened to Gaara. Except she hadn't basically been branded like him. Not yet anyways; who knew what they had planned to do until more students had come.

Lying to Sayuki about her family hitting her was a small crime as long as she hadn't known. It was fortunate she had fought back against the girls. It was easier when she had the advantage of power too. If she hadn't of been attack earlier that morning poor Sayuki would have gotten dragged from her class. The girls from Karin's group had let that much slip. Sayuki would have probably been the one in Gaara's place or even been attacked along with him. She wouldn't of even had a chance of pushing them back like Gaara did.

"Now to find Karin..."


	10. Chapter 10: Rage

Sakura stalked through the halls of the school earlier than her usual time. Yesterday after fighting with Sayuki and Gaara she hadn't been able to find Karin or her friends. They had probably ditched school like the norm. She wasn't going to stop though. She was going to find her before Gaara came. She wouldn't be able to before Sayuki came, because as carefully as she was trying, Sakura could see the small girl tailing her.

Sakura sped up to lose the girl. She quickly nudged a blond haired girl named Ino. She slipped a paper into the girl's hand. Ino looked up at her confused for a moment before Sakura spoke. "I need you to distract Sayuki for as long as possible." Ino raised an eyebrow before quickly opening the paper. Inside was a number neatly printed with Sasuke's name below. Ino grinned and nodded before she waved goodbye to her friends and began to approach the oncoming Sayuki.

With that Sakura continued on her search. It didn't take long for her to near her class where she heard the shrill laughter of girls. As she neared closer a silky blur of red was whipping through the air as the easily recognizable Karin flipped her hair in a flirty manner. In front Sasuke's dark eyes could be seen staring blankly back at the girl with disinterest as several of her friends surrounded him too.

Sasuke noticed Sakura nearing, her posture tall and strong. He raised an eyebrow and with a tremendous effort Sakura turned her stare from his smouldering onyx eyes. Instead she focused on her anger towards Karin. Her rage boiled over and grew at the sight of the red.

"Karin we need to talk." Sakura bellowed over the girl's shrill laughter. Karin paused mid laugh and turned to look back at Sakura. She continued to snicker as though Sakura had said something ridiculous. She looked her up and down before ignoring her and a flash of red spun in Sakura's face as Karin turned back to the group. Sakura's eyes narrowed with frustration. "Karin!" Sakura's voice rose with annoyance.

"Why do they let flies in this school?" Karin asked her friends with annoyance before spinning around on her heels. She stared Sakura right in the eye getting the hint she wouldn't back off and leave just because she got ignored. She placed her thin pale hand delicately on her waist in impatience. She raised an eyebrow. "What can I do for you little fly?"

"I think we should go somewhere more private." Sakura suggested as politely as she could manage. Karin looked her up and down, sizing her up about what she really wanted. She glanced back at her friends whose eyes drowned with curiosity.

"Whatever you want to say, can be said in front of everyone here." Karin finally pronounced challengingly to Sakura. Sakura bit her lip as she glanced at the staring eyes. She wouldn't get anywhere with Karin in front of her friends. She just played games to show off to them. There would be no cracking into her to stop with bystanders. From her smirk there would be no convincing of her leaving to talk somewhere else either.

"Fine then..." Sakura relented before she continued with one simple word. "Stop." Karin blinked a few times with innocent nature. Her smile grew.

"Stop what?" Karin asked innocently as she eyed her friends who smiled back knowingly. Sakura ground her teeth in anger as she played stupid. She clenched her fist to release some of her anger before she took a deep breath.

"Don't play stupid Karin. You're attacking us over a mistake." Sakura practically growled as the girl continued to act dumbfounded. Karin batted her eyelashes as she pretended to think. Her eyes suddenly widened with mock remembrance.

"Oh you mean our club ceremony with Gaara!" Karin chimed excitedly as she clapped her hands together. She smirked and Sakura's anger bubbled at the sight of it. Sasuke seemed to suddenly remember the torment they had caused only yesterday, but it only showed on his face for a moment before he began to turn away.

"You jumped him and even carved into his arm!" Sakura shouted, catching the attention of more on goers. Karin didn't seem to care about the gawking strangers like Sakura. She instead just shrugged carelessly. Sakura's fist twitched and she mentally told herself to calm down before she lost control.

"If that's all... I really should be heading to class with Sasuke..." Karin explained nonchalantly as she looked at Sasuke who was listening to another guy from class but kept his eye on them curiously.

"Are you guys some sort of sick freaks!" Sakura screeched in anger as Karin began to turn away. She stopped mid step and her arm twitched. Karin slowly turned back and glared. It was the first sign of any real emotion Sakura saw from her. It was a start at least. Even Sasuke seemed to notice this. He stepped towards her and reached to grab Karin but she stepped forward unnoticing. She brought herself an inch from Sakura's face and tilted her head to the right slightly.

"You better watch your back." Karin's voice was filled with pure venom. The bell rang and Sakura could suddenly hear the nervous call from Sayuki. She didn't know how long she had been there, but she wasn't going to continue this. She knew one more thing, and she would crack. She took the best option and stepped back from the red haired girl. She turned around as she heard her voice again. "You better take care of Blondie too... you don't know how bad things can get now. One eye off her and she could wind up a dead whore."

Sakura whipped around and before she even knew what she was doing she had launched herself at Karin. Within a moment they were both on the ground with a gasp from the watching crowd. Sakura pinned the girl and began to pound on her pale face. Karin shrieked and shoved off Sakura's grip on her shoulders. She reached out and grabbed Sakura's pink hair and began pulling on it screaming between profanities for her to get off.

Sakura felt someone grab her shoulders but she shoved the arm back and continued to scratch at Karin's face with her nails. The room felt like it was spinning faster and faster, but she didn't care. She was lost in her rage as she struck at the girl's cringing face. Karin eventually shoved her off with the help of someone tugging on her arm and then holding her in place. Whistles and cat calls were heard around them as one of Karin's friends pulled Sakura back. Karin shakily stood up as Sakura thrashed and kicked for both Karin and the one holding her. She felt dizzy but she couldn't stop.

"Are you fucking crazy you bitch!" Karin screeched as she flung her hand to rid herself of some of the pink hair she had pulled from Sakura's scalp. In a pure fit of anger Sakura spit at the girl and hit Karin's cheek. Karin shrieked and this time she charged at Sakura with her hand raised, ready to slap her face. Before she could though a hand grabbed hers tightly and twisted it back. Karin screamed in pain, louder than the chants from the crowd.

"Back off," Gaara's voice rang through the crowd. Karin's eyes and nose widened as she breathed deeply in adrenaline and anger. She pulled her arm free and shoved him away from her. She stared at Sakura, her eyes still wide. Sasuke chuckled, catching everyone's attention as he pulled her back. From behind Sakura, Sayuki stood suddenly attempting to calm her and warning her of teachers coming to the fight.

"I'll kick your ass later!" Karin roared as she wiped some of the blood from her face that oozed from the scratches. Sasuke tugged her back when Karin seemed to want to make her "later" right then. She was so lost in her anger that she didn't do the usual swoon from Sasuke's touch. The bell to be in class rang deafeningly throughout the hall and with the help of the approaching teachers the students began to spread out and leave.

"Sakura let's go." Gaara coaxed her as he pulled on her arm. Sayuki was suddenly on Sakura's other side grabbing her arm and embracing it in basically a hug. Sayuki could feel her arm shaking in adrenaline and what she was sure was fear and regret. She counted as her breath began to slow. "Are you going to be okay?"

Sakura snatched her arm from his grip as it began to shake again. "I can handle myself..." Sakura muttered coldly as she began to step away. She felt her arm being tugged and remembered the blond haired girl who held a tight grip.

She felt herself cringe and pull back more as she saw the look on her face. Full of disgust and lust for revenge. The look frightened Sakura, but a moment later she shook her head. Sayuki's blue eyes looked worriedly up at Sakura and she couldn't help but doubt what she thought she had seen. She looked so small and innocent as she searched for any wounds on Sakura. Her imagination was beginning to go wild from the blood rush.

"Sakura the teachers are coming..." Sayuki urgently caught her attention. Sakura looked up to see the teacher only seconds away from them. The crowd was already dispersing quickly in fear of reprimand. Sakura quickly took the initiative to pull Sayuki and run through the crowd and outside.

It was there that she saw Karin once again. She saw her hand shaking as she lit a cigarette and walked with her back to Sakura. Her two friends tagged along beside her cooing about her abilities and comforting the girl who still was furious. It was obvious just from her breathing and posture. Sakura bit her lip and fought the rage bubbling. Sayuki began to speak but Sakura knew she planned to distract her. She decided herself she'd leave.

She heard the door behind her open and spotted Gaara slinking out from it. He too caught Karin leaving but ignored her. He quickly began to move towards the two. Karin shook her head as she sped out the gate. She wasn't far enough for Sakura to miss it though.

"I'm going to kill that bitch and her friends!" Karin shrieked to her friends who agreed with glee. Suddenly she felt herself being pulled by her own body towards the girl. She didn't even know what she was doing as she ran and pulled the red strands of hair back. It all just went black.


	11. Chapter 11: Control

Sayuki saw as Sakura's eyes fluttered slowly as she awoke. Sayuki sighed in relief and smiled down at Sakura. She began to sit up and looked around confused. Sayuki noticed this and quickly explained. "You're in my room. Gaara carried you here..."

"Gaara... carried me? To your room?" Sakura asked in a daze as she finally stared at the blond haired girl. She ran her fingers through bangs slowly as she squeezed her eyes shut. She sat there in silence as she mumbled to herself about how she had got here. She couldn't even remember what she had been doing earlier. It was like she had just been gone to another time of nothing.

"You don't remember...?" Sayuki questioned sceptically. Sakura nodded with frustration as she tried to remember something; anything. She looked at the cat shaped clock that hung on the wall. It's tail swung back and forth as it showed the time. It was already noon. She remembered walking to school that morning.

"Well..." Sayuki spoke uneasily as she glanced around the room. Sakura looked at Sayuki for a moment. She shook her head. Her pink hair flashed as she attempted to clear her head and think. Visions of red clumps of hair in her hands rang through her head. Gaara's piercing eyes of courage flashed through her mind and her heart did a flip. It soon stopped as Karin's enlarged eyes and nostrils swooped in as she shrieked in anger. "What exactly did I do..?"

Sayuki bit her lip and rubbed her arms in what Sakura had quickly learned was one of her small nervous habits. Her lips trembled as a small frown took form onto her face. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. You did it all for me..."Sakura could feel she'd have to give the girl a push. Otherwise she'd be sitting here for days waiting for her to say it herself.

"Sayuki, I'm sure it wasn't your fault. I just need to know what happened. I'm sort of blanking out right now..." Sakura pleaded for her to understand. She hated this empty feeling. She couldn't remember ever before not remembering past events. She didn't even forget when she had tried some whiskey and vodka at a party once. She had overdone it that day, but still she didn't just forget it all. Of course she wouldn't have minded if she forgot that embarrassment.

"You attacked Karin. You just lunged at her before I could do anything. I was so scared...`` Sayuki admitted as she chewed each word carefully. Sakura scratched her head, ruffling her hair roughly as she growled lightly. Sayuki sat on the floor beside the bed silently as she watched Sakura nervously fight inside her head. Sakura just couldn`t believe what she had done. She couldn`t even remember any of it.

"Gaara stopped you right away. I was frozen and couldn't do anything for you... I couldn't think and you always help me... but I couldn't help you..." Sayuki continued to blame herself in a tiny voice, but Sakura soon drowned her out. She felt her heart beat quicken as she caught Sayuki's words. Gaara had been the one to stop her. Twice he had intervened and saved her. She held her breath and shook her thoughts away once again. She couldn't believe her heart betrayed her like that. She loved Sasuke, right? But his smirking lips came to mind and she shivered in both anger and disgust. She had never thought that he could be so cruel. But hadn't he always been that way...?

"Sakura?" Sayuki's urgent voice broke through Sakura's thoughts. Sakura blinked rapidly and forced a grin.

"Sorry sorry... I just don't remember anything... It's tough to take in." She didn't completely lie. But not telling it all was basically the same as lying. Sakura swung her legs over the bed to the edge and felt herself cringe in pain as she did so. She looked at her arms and legs. They were red and cut all over. Claw marks only a scorned girl could give covered her some covered with beads of crusted blood. Karin had managed to do a number on her.

"My parents aren't home... do you wanna take a bath?" Sayuki asked Sakura, noticing her stare. The thought of getting in a hot stinging bath didn't appeal to her. She knew she was acting like a baby but for now she felt like she needed the control, even if it was just a choice of bathing now or not. Earlier she had lost her control with Karin. Now her she was losing the grasp on even her own heart. At least now she could control some of her pain and turmoil.

"Nah, I think I'll just head home." Sakura replied casually as she could. Sayuki's eyes grew to her usual worried look. "What?"

"Won't your parents ask why you're hurt? The teacher's didn't manage to find out, but..." Sayuki's visible worry grew further. Sayuki had never witnessed Sakura's family life or home, so of course she had no clue of her father's long ago escape. He was long gone and she doubted she would ever see him again. Due to her father's absence, her mother worked long hours to support the two of them. Her mother loved her of course, but she wouldn't see her until late at night. Her mother would be blinded by fatigue and her nightly visit to the alcohol cabinet. She'd be cleaned up by then anyways.

"She works late tonight," Sakura explained shortly. Sayuki looked worried still, but she nodded.

"I'll go with you," Sayuki said assertively. It was a rare expression from Sayuki. She knew she should be glad for her friend's slow confidence build around her, but it made her feel uneasy. It was just so odd for the sweet defenceless girl. But she couldn't wish for her to always rely on her.

"I'll be fine al-"

"I'm going." Sayuki's eyes darkened as she stared back at Sakura. Sakura blinked and the bright cheery blue eyes were back. She must have hit the ground hard at some point. She was beginning to hallucinate things now.

"Yeah sure..." Sakura agreed but not without the recent attack of chills down her spine. She mentally slapped herself for it.


	12. Chapter 12: Paranoia

[b] I'LL MEET YOU BY THE STORE [/b]

Sayuki smiled with relief as she read the short text. Gaara had shortly left after bringing them to Sayuki's house and making sure they were okay. He planned to follow Karin around with her friends to see if they'd do anything suspicious. He told her everything as though to relieve her of any stress or terror of them coming. Karin had gone home; just not quietly as they did. They had gone to her house though. So far he hadn't seen them leave and they both knew he couldn't stay out there all day waiting.

It was when Sayuki mentioned going to drop Sakura off he insisted on taking her back. He warned her and told her to repeat the words to Sakura that they shouldn't go off alone. They all knew Karin had her short fuse easily lit. Sakura hadn't simply lit it either. She had doused it in gasoline and flicked several matches at it. Sayuki knew that clearly so his offer lifted a huge weight from her tiny shoulders.

"I'd invite you in, but I'm just really worn out from today..." Sakura excused herself with a weak smile. Sayuki grinned to reassure her and nodded in understanding.

Inside Sayuki's heart shattered as she witnessed her friend's smile. While she grew and learned to force a smile, her friend's smile grew weaker and weaker as she watched. Ever since they had been together and Sakura had helped her out she had noticed it. So how else was she to expect anything except the fact that it was all her fault? If she hadn't started and brought Sakura into her war with Karin, she would probably still be smiling brightly.

"Hey, be careful on the way back, okay?" Sayuki broke from her train of thought and looked up at the worried Sakura. Sakura was biting her lip as she thought. She looked directly at Sayuki. "I just feel really... uneasy." Sakura seemed to be conflicting with herself, but she sensed her love for her and worries. Sayuki nodded.

"Gaara said he would meet me at the nearby store." Sayuki reassured the pink haired girl chipperly. Sayuki watched as Sakura's expression changed from her worry, to horror and shock. It was only for an instant before it changed back. The only remaining evidence was her reddened face. She quickly spun around.

"I'm not feeling so good. I'll see you tomorrow though." Sakura whipped the words out as she headed through her yard's gate and to the door. Sayuki opened her mouth to ask if she needed anything, but stopped as she heard a sudden rustling from behind her. She looked back and searched around, but saw nothing. She chastised herself for spooking herself. She looked back to Sakura, but where she had been was empty now. She sighed.

She bit her lip and stared at the yellow panelled house. It had a sweet, warm, and inviting look to it. She had only seen it from outside but she was sure inside would be just the same. It comforted her to know it was where Sakura lived. Her thoughts were stopped again as she heard another sound from behind. She turned around completely now this time. Nothing. Sakura lived in a quiet neighbourhood. It probably just spooked her out because there was absolutely no one there. School was still on. Still it didn't feel right and against her chastising, she ran.

She didn't really think, but instead kept looking around as she pumped her legs to gain speed. Her breathing grew heavier as she wasted her energy to take these looks around her. She didn't know why she felt so uncomfortable; she just knew she wanted to run away from the feeling. Nothing could get the feeling of something watching her. It was probably just the wind. She repeated that to herself, but she didn't care. She was too scared. Another irrational feeling; nothing new to her.

The store became clearer in her vision and with each step hitting the ground she felt more and more at ease. Her place slowed as she panted. She was only a few steps away now as she slowed down. She promised herself she would only look one more time. There were people and cars on both sides of the street. Yellow, black, white, red cars. Mother and daughter. Two boys who were probably skipping class. She let out a long sigh of relief.

"Sayuki." A low voice growled as she felt her arm being grabbed by the darkness of the alley way between the two buildings. Sayuki shrieked as she got roughly pulled into the dark. A hand covered her both and she instinctively bit it. Her abductor growled and let her go. "It's me!"

Sayuki blinked and her mouth dropped in surprise as she recognized the voice. "Gaara?" He shuffled around and moved closer to the light. The sun twinkled brightly against his red bed-head. She could now make out half of his face as his green eyes looked at his damaged hand. Panic had blinded her, and now she felt incredibly ridiculous. "I'm so sorry!"

"Why were you running?" Gaara asked as he wiped his hand aggressively against his pants. Her heart was still racing crazily and she could feel her eyes widened. She must have looked like a lunatic escaping their cell. "You're even sweating... Her house isn't that far."

"I was... I didn't want to make you wait and I'm sort of out of shape..." Sayuki lied poorly with a slight grin. His emerald eyes showed he clearly saw through her. She knew he wouldn't force her to talk though and she appreciated it. She also knew that he would expect her to tell him eventually. She felt good and bad about the fact he was worried about her.

"It's fine. You didn't need to strain yourself." Gaara spoke slowly as he examined her further. She shook lightly, afraid he would see how scared she had truly been. If he only knew, he wouldn't hold back to respect her wishes. She felt more stupid now for feeling that fear and she hoped it would show more than the fear. "I knew you would though, so I didn't exactly walk. Thirsty?"

He walked towards the sidewalk. She followed after she grinned and nodded. She was glad he had stuck to the norm and not pestered her. She just wanted to forget her foolishness. She genuinely smiled to make up for it and followed him to the sidewalk. She looked back and snapped at herself. No one was there. It had probably been a cat she kept hearing or something equally cliché.

"What's wrong?" Gaara asked again for the second time that day. Sayuki shook her head. She hadn't realized that against her will she had still been looking.

"Nothing, just wondering what I'm thirsty for..." He simply nodded and she forced her stare towards the store. She walked into the cool conditioner of the small store.

She had actually grown thirsty from her run and simply bought a nice cold bottle of water. As she did so Gaara quickly grabbed several items from the shelves. He seemed distracted as he decided so she walked up to the counter and paid for her beverage. She quickly undid the lid and chugged the refreshing liquid down as she patiently waited.

As she grew bored though she felt her eyes wander to outside. She bit her lip and quickly looked at the nearby magazine rack. She read and gawked at the covers of the pretty teen girls, and a practically nude girl from a magazine she had never hoped to see. She cursed the teen boy who had probably lazily put it in plain sight as a joke. She sipped on the remaining water in the bottle after hiding the magazine.

"You must have run quite a bit." A shiver went up Sayuki's spine. She didn't dare turn back. All of her paranoia came rushing back at full speed. She attempted to ignore the voice from behind and swerved to her right to make a quick exit. She heard a low dark chuckle but she didn't let it stop her as she left through the door.

"What did she say?" Gaara's angry voice asked as the tiny bell dinged from the opening of the door again.

"It was nothing." Sayuki insisted.

"That's what you've been saying all day!" Gaara shouted aggressively. Sayuki flinched at his sudden outburst. She was used to his calm side. He seemed to notice her reaction and his voice calmed. "Sorry, but when I saw Karin prance in... and you just left... I have to assume she did something."

"It was really nothing!" Sayuki spoke honestly for the first time that day. "She just commented on me running... I guess I still look sweaty and gross..." Gaara looked doubtful for a moment as he weighed her words. He must have seen some truth in her for he just nodded and said fine.

"Let's just go before they come out." Gaara suggested after a hard look at the strikingly similar hair color to his own. He looked away and Sayuki snuck a look at the girl. She turned at the same time to look at her. Karin's smile was visible even through the dirty glass. Sayuki's mouth twisted in a grimace as she looked away from the girl's smug look.

"Okay," Sayuki agreed. They began to walk, quietly at first. After a minute or so, Sayuki couldn't keep her question to herself any longer. "Wasn't Karin at her house?"

"She was supposed to be." Gaara admitted. His expression showed he had been asking himself the same thing. His face was frozen in a hard scowl. Had she noticed him and taken the chance to follow him as he left? Her paranoia grew crazy.

After that neither spoke during the short trip to her house. Soon they arrived though. She thanked him with a small smile and invited him inside. He declined, lost in his own thoughts to even really listen. She looked up at him worriedly in exchange. He noticed and his lip twitched in an attempt to smile. She waved and walked to her door and opened it. Her keys jingled as she unlocked the door. The entire time Gaara stood watching her. She waved again and walked inside.

"Hello?" Her voice echoed throughout the house and she closed the door. No one answered in response. She realized how dumb she had been for thinking someone would be home. She shouldn't even be there. She sighed, both relieved and frightened. Her fear reminded her of tomorrow and the thought of going back alone.

"Gaara!" Sayuki called out as she ran and quickly opened the door. Her pace didn't stop until she slowed at the front of the yard. She couldn't see him and she walked out further, leaving the door opened. No sign of him. She didn't remember him ever being so fast.

Something else caught her attention to the side. A black, slick car with a thin, red stripe across it. She had seen it earlier. It had caught her attention as she ran. It had also been across the street in front of the small hair salon. That wasn't the only place. It had also been parked at her school.

Fear suddenly washed over her entire being. It was pure instinct. She stepped back and twisted her body to turn. She reached to grab her phone from her pocket as she slammed into a hard, yet soft surface. Her phone dropped with a scatter to the ground as she looked up.

"Hello!" Two voices rang in perfect simultaneously as she felt her arms being grabbed and her mouth muffled with some sort of cloth. Her screams grew to nothing, but her eyes grew as she saw the two identical faces smirking. Her arm was twisted in pain as she was shoved towards the black car and forced in.

She saw two heads of red.


	13. Chapter 13: Cute

Sayuki felt dizzy. Everything seemed to be moving constantly even though she simply sat on a hard seat. Her mind was racing faster and she wanted to scream. She wanted to scream until her lungs popped and she couldn't scream no more. She wanted to beat on something. She wanted to kick and punch until her hands and feet bled. Anything at all. She didn't want to be here. She could hardly squirm. She had never felt so trapped before.

"Stop being so God damn annoying!" Karin's screech rang out loudly and clearly throughout the car. It wasn't directed at the struggling Sayuki though. Her struggle was more internal. To her far right was Gaara though. He made his struggle more visible. He wasn't even sitting as much as he was jumping with each thrashing movement. His anger was obvious not only his face, but his violent jerks. His cursing and shouting radiated towards the three captors in the car.

Sayuki sat back in defeat. If even Gaara couldn't manage to break free, then how could weak, spineless her do it by herself? She closed her eyes and sat. She focused on the struggle that banged against the seat. Karin jabbed her in her fight against the angry male. Eventually most of the movement stopped and she could hear grumbles. He was being held down. Her fear grew.

"Don't bother resisting..." Sayuki hadn't realized the car had stopped. The sickly voice was what brought her to the reality of her situation. She couldn't forget it. Only before it had been a confident flirtatious tone. Now it was just as slow and flirtatious, but with a thick layer of ice. Maybe it was her projecting it due to the fear. His face showed nothing but flirtation. It made her sick.

"Go fuck yourselves!" Gaara's voice roared angrily. It echoed. By now Sayuki was up on her shaking legs. It was dark, only lit by a dim naked bulb. It smelled of oil and musk. A garage. The tape she had worn, and unlike Gaara not been able to bite through, was ripped from her lips. Her mouth burned.

"Shut your trap already!" The cold voice rang, this time Sayuki could imagine the icicles from his words.

"Just take them in!" Karin's shriek voice replied to the aggravated twin looks she got from her two assistants.

"He's not exactly making it easy... if you think you could do better, then why don't you try?" The third voice fired back in annoyance. Karin scoffed. Then it went silent except for the struggle between the three boys. They stopped though when they all heard Karin speak.

"Sayuki..." The soft, yet dangerous purr came from Karin for a second time. Sayuki stood up straight, suddenly focused on everything. She instinctively felt the fear rush through her every vein and inside. Her body felt cold.

"Oh I get it..." Sayuki finally looked up as she heard his footsteps near her slowly. He wore a smug, plastic grin all across his face. The same one that had her frozen in fear during their first encounter. The one that told her to run like hell.

"Don't go near her any further, Sakon..." Gaara warned him in an even more dangerous voice than earlier. He continued to fight for his freedom against Sakon's doppelganger.

"You know... I always did think you were cute..." Sakon spoke slowly as he drank her in with his eyes. Sayuki choked on any words she had to plead with. She felt violated and naked in his vision. She hated it.

"Back off!" Gaara spoke aggressively. She could hear the ringing alarm in his voice begin to resound. She was beginning to feel numb.

"I should have made you mine earlier..." Sakon drawled on as Gaara began to once again furiously curse and slander them all. Ukon fought on by beating him. Sayuki's skin crawled. Every fibre in her body was screaming 'run'! She couldn't though. She was trapped like a mouse in a corner. Karin had an iron grip on her. If her whole body hasn't been numb, she was sure she would be cringing and crying out in pain.

"Stop...please..." Sayuki managed to squeak out the two words, her eyes as big as a doe's; her control slipping from her grasp. As his face neared hers she could smell his breath. It stunk of onions and fish. She could feel her stomach churning. Her vision began to blur and go colorless. She tried to blink but her focus was dwindling. His cold rough hand grabbed her and pulled her away from Karin's. She heard her bones snap from the sharp jerk. She couldn't resist as he pulled her to him.

"Don't touch her!" The alarm and shakiness in Gaara's voice entered his voice and overtook the threatening tone. Everything began to spin as his slimy, rough tongue traced the side of her face and he bit her ear sharply. The pain didn't bring her back though. She was numb and frozen as his thin lips moved to her statue like face. He smashed his lips against her, bruising them.

Her legs buckled and she dropped to the ground.

"SAYUKI!"

Another thump echoed throughout the room before she slipped into complete darkness and silence.

* * *

"Sayuki?" Sakura was confused. It had been Sayuki's name on her phone, but the frantic voice was obviously that of a young boy's.

"No. It's her brother. Have you seen Sayuki though?"

"She was here a while ago..." Sakura's heart beat began to race. "Why do you have her phone? She was carrying it and texting... I saw her."

"I found it." He paused and she heard a long sigh. "I'm sure it's nothing. It's just me overreacting from watching way too many movies. It's just when I saw it on the ground I-" The phone went dead. She looked at the phone in urgency. The screen was pitch black. She whipped it across at her light purple wall. It clattered and fell to her soft carpet.

Something had to have happened. Sayuki had promised her she would head straight home with Gaara. He would have taken her there. He must have. Her phone had been there, how else would her brother have found it? So why wasn't she there? Unless... Karin had done something.

She mentally beat herself up for not escorting Sayuki home herself. Maybe Gaara had even had a change of heart or been abducted beforehand. Maybe it was all a trick. Now Karin was probably with poor Sayuki who was like a deer in headlights. What if Karin had been outside Sakura's house and had gone into action as soon as she walked inside.

"I got call Gaara..." Sakura whispered in hopes she was just a paranoid freak. She rummaged through her dresser, throwing things each way in the frantic process. She finally held up a cord in her hand and ran to the nearest plug in. After connecting the cords she turned on her phone thanks to the new power source.

"Gaara!" Her voice shouted as the ringing stopped. The automatic voicemail rang through her ears as her smile drooped along with her stomach falling. She hung up her phone and stood. Without another thought, she ran out of her house.


	14. Chapter 14: Lifeless

Sayuki's grip loosened as she heard the dull ringing of a phone. It disappeared and it was completely silent except the small dripping of water. She felt cold and numb. She couldn't remember a thing and it was so very dark all around her. Suddenly she heard the creaking of a door and light poured in through the door. Suddenly the bright lights of the garage were turned on and filled the room.

Across from her she could see Gaara lying unconsciously against the cold cement ground. His red hair covered his eyes, but his body was limp and unmoving. Her eyes focused and she noticed something odd. There was now a darker shade of red mixed with his hair... and around the floor.

Suddenly she let out a piercing scream. Not from the sight of Gaara alone, but it would have been enough. No, this was a blood curdling scream that erupted. She dug her nails into her head as she ran them and pushed up her hair.

"You were fun," Sakon's voice was sickly and turned her stomach. The smell from his freshly lit cigarette stopped her scream as she choked on the smoke. She spotted a pile of clothes and she grabbed them and covered her naked body. She couldn't breathe. Her tears wouldn't stop now. Her body ached in pain and she cringed deeper within herself.

"Wh-why!" Sayuki managed to choke out the simple question through her sobbing.

"Oh don't be so..." Sakon paused to inhale some of his poisonous fumes as he thought. "Dramatic." Her eyes widened, and his smile grew. "Wait. Don't tell it was your very first time with another man!"

She said nothing. She felt used, shaken, broken, traumatized, and dirty. She couldn't take it anymore. It was all too much. They were all a bunch of sickos. They had brought her to this point. Now she just wanted to curl up in a tiny ball and die.

"It was?" Sakon asked with a scoff. He nodded to himself. "It's unfortunate you were asleep then." He threw a pile of papers to the ground and they scattered in front of her. "Fortunately Karin was kind enough to think ahead and make some mementos for you to keep."

At first she didn't care. She didn't care about anything anymore. She really didn't. One had slipped into her vision though and that's when she saw it. Her naked lifeless body. She screamed again. Her eyes were now drawn to them. They were all different, some with Sakon, some without. She lunged forward and began to scrape them all into a disgruntled pile. She held a few in her shaky hand in shock and horror. It was sickening. It was all of her. Every single part of her. It made everything so real and she couldn't look away.

Her tears brought her back as they hit the papers and smeared the colour in the image slightly. She could still see her unconscious face and she felt like puking. The room was filled with the sound of shredding paper as she furiously ripped them. Sakon chuckled from his corner as he watched her from it. She didn't care. She just kept ripping and ripping.

"Don't worry." Her eyes shot up to him as he spoke. "I have plenty more. I'm actually thinking of keeping some for myself, maybe blowing up a few to hang on my walls... or the school ways! Don't you thi..." His words drifted off as she went deaf to it all. Her vision blurred as her tears sank down and down.

"Why?" Sayuki asked weakly. It wasn't only for him, but for herself. He just stood there, his arms crossed now that he had put his cigarette out. He leaned against the wall, a long, confident smirk placed on his face. She continued to repeat the one simple word over and over as she grabbed more pictures. She grabbed more and more pictures, tearing them over and over. "Why? Why? Why? Why! Why! Why! Why! Why? WHY!" Her words grew more and more frantic as she continued.

"You're beginning to sound like an insane person," Sakon muttered as he lit another cigarette. His voice sounded like he was warning her. Sayuki dropped all the torn pieces of paper to the ground. She looked up at the glowing end of the cigarette. It was slowly burning, growing slightly shorter. She wished she could disappear like the cigarette did.

Sayuki slumped down even further to the ground. Her body was limp as she rested on her arms against the cold cement. She didn't care how cold it was though. She was tired. Oh so very tired. Everything around her was surrounded with a dark aura that grew. Her mind was a dark empty space while the garage was stifling and bone chilling. She dropped her body completely to the ground. She scratched the cement with her hands and sobbed. She didn't care that her body was naked still and now uncovered once more. She wanted to be gone.

"Oh don't pout Sayuki..." Sakon spoke with a deathly soft voice as he moved towards her. His footsteps echoed throughout the small room growing steadily louder. She cringed with each step, wishing and hoping to just melt into the cement. She wouldn't get away though, she couldn't. Even if she wanted to the images froze her body and only left her to a few twitches and awake enough to feel the cold pain. Her tears had stopped. She was empty, she had cried out all her tears.

She felt his cold hand on her. She could smell the stench of smoke coming from his shirt. She cringed at his touch, but he moved his hand to her cheek. She wanted to bite his hand, show defiance, but the darkness in her heart made anything she could do seem so utterly bleak. She couldn't imagine anything getting better. So she let his slimy hand touch her cheek. He had already done his worst. He had defiled her.

"Look up at me." Sakon demanded as he put two fingers under her chin and lifted her chin up so she was facing him. He was a dark blur surrounded by gray. She was glad she didn't have to see his conniving face. At least she was shown this small mercy, if nothing else. The blur moved closer and she could smell Sakon's breath against her cheek. Her stomach knotted and twisted. Would he dare do it again to her? She wouldn't be able to bear it awake. She couldn't. Everything became fuzzy again and darkness merged with the shadow of Sakon. Atleast she would be gone again this time.

"What the hell have you been doing Sakon?" A voice rang throughout the garage suddenly. It was too late for her to look now though. She heard movement right before she slipped into the complete darkness of silence.


	15. Chapter 15: Gossip

Soft warmth covered her body and she sank further into it. It felt like a pile of fresh soft snow against her aching body. She felt clammy, but it didn't seem to matter to her. She just enjoyed the soft warmth of the covers. She enjoyed the safety and comfort of being home in her own bed.

She realized she had been crying again. She wiped her tears roughly with the back of her hand. It was silly of her to let this affect her. She already knew why she had been crying. It was the same dream rewinding each time it ended through her screams. It would then play over again as she managed to fall back into the land of sleep. Each time it would come back. She knew that. She could almost imagine the hands as she was awake. His cold, hard body; even the scent of his strong cologne. All of it. It was just a dream though. The vividness she remembered though was what frightened her.

"Sayuki..." A soft voice whispered from her doorway.

"Ryu?" She blinked away her new formed tears and slowly rolled over. Her brother's concerned face peeked through the doorway. The only light came from the same tiny crack in the door he peered through. She instinctively felt sick from it and remembered the smell of a cigarette. It turned her stomach. Was the darkness still manifesting her night terror?

"Yeah?" Sayuki asked weakly. Her voice felt weak and it hurt to speak slightly. Her throat felt raw. Had she screamed that loudly throughout the night? Was that why Ryu had come to her door? She hated herself for worrying him.

"Dad wants you to get up and go to school." His words dragged on cautiously, but she let out a sigh. He hadn't heard her then. She forced a smile and simply nodded. She was glad he couldn't really see her. He slowly began to close the door. He then popped his head back in. "I'll be outside waiting for you."

"Okay."

As soon as she had washed away all her sweat she got dressed hurriedly. It wasn't long before she was rushing through the door to the sun. She felt safer outside and in the light. She skipped meeting her parents too. She knew that would have even made the sun not help wash away her sadness.

Sayuki joined her brother by his side and they began walking in silence. She didn't feel much up to talking; she could hardly even breathe. The images that were burned in her mind kept flashing in her mind. Nothing she did or thought about could extinguish them. The more she thought about it, the more real it became. She not only could see them now, just like right after she would wake up, she could feel his touch... the way his tongue ran down... Her body tightened up.

"We're here." Ryu's voice broke her from her trauma. She hadn't realized how tightly her body was glued together, trying to hold back her shaking. She has unconsciously crossed her arms and held them tightly with the other. Even now she didn't want to dare let go. She was afraid she would shatter into tiny pieces.

"Thanks..." She drifted and inhaled. She looked at Ryu whose eyes were filled with concern. She slowly let go of her sleeves and dropped her arms. Her first survival of the day. She smiled weakly and forced it to grow before she turned to look at the looming school.

"What really happened! You can tell me!" Ryu's words were urgent as he grabbed her by both arms and slightly shook her. Her brows wrinkled in confusion.

"I'm just cold Ryu, I swear..." Sayuki lied perfectly. She was both ashamed and elated by it. She almost believed herself by her tone. The images helped to remind her that she was a big liar.

"Oh yeah." He still looked baffled, whether it was from disbelief or her sudden certainty within herself, she didn't know. He nodded though, and peeled off his jacket with swift movements. He handed it to her with one hand. She shook her head but he held it out insistently.

"You're going to be late," Sayuki pointed out as she took his jacket from his hand. He shrugged as she slipped on the big jacket. She felt incredibly safe in the jacket. It was too long for her short arms and torso but it was warm and she snuggled in it.

"If you need anything, just call me." He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small pink device. Her cell phone. She was confused as to why he had it but she took it when he held it out.

"I will. Just hurry to school." Sayuki insisted as she put the phone into her skirt pocket. He nodded solemnly and left Sayuki in front of the school. She felt guilty watching his shrunken cold back.

She thought of her two comrads and put on a brave smile as she forgot her little brother. She took another deep breath and took a small, slow step forward. Her courage grew with each step. She refused to let the nightmares get to her. She thought of Sakura. She wouldn't let them, so neither would she. She made her way inside the school.

No one stopped her, called out to her, or anything. The eyes were obviously there and watching her every move. It felt like every single set of eyes in the school were glued onto her. It wasn't just her usual paranoia either. She had caught several of them looking at her. Some of them wouldn't even look away while others had the courtesy and shame to do so. She didn't like it. It made her feel like something bigger was going to happen.

She had expected more. It had been her whole grade practically who had seen the fight with Karin and Sakura. By now Sakura was linked to Sayuki and vice versa. Something Sakura did, Sayuki had been a part of. Even Gaara was linked to them, just because they were victims of Karin's group. Rumours spread quickly here too, just like any other school. So why was it so quiet around her? Whispers were shared, but she could never hear a thing. It only made her more nervous. By now she had learned to expect the worse.

It was at lunch when she heard the news. She wasn't sure if it had been meant to be hidden from her ears, but she began to think it was. Why else would no one rub it in her face? The only reason she had heard it was because of chance. It was a simple case of being in the right spot at the right time. Now where else would she have been to hear this but the girl's bathroom.

She waited silently in the stall as two girls had entered. She hadn't meant to be stuck in there; she just didn't want to face them where there were no witnesses. For all she knew, they were waiting to get her all alone. The two girls were furiously gossiping though as they fixed their makeup. Sayuki was peeking through the stall door crack as they did so.

As she listened her throat felt like it was being squeezed tighter and tighter with each work spoken. She leaned against the stall now, not concerned about the unhygienic mess it was. She put one arm up and covered up the word "freak slut" carved into the wall with her name below it. This didn't bother her though. It was kind of sad how they had done it so carefully just to mock her.

"...in the office." Sayuki couldn't wait any longer as she heard these last three words from the girl's mouth. Frantically she threw open the door and flew out of the bathroom. She slammed into someone and apologized as she scampered and slipped down the hall. It all made sense now. She had been so tortured and paranoid by the dreams and everyone that she hadn't even noticed. There had been five missing faces all morning.

She ran harder than she ever had. She dodged many people with each step. She finally came to a skidding stop in front of the door. She breathed heavily as she stepped in.

"How can I help you?"


End file.
